ISSUED: 12 August 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Auditions for Shepherd University’s Community Orchestra and Junior String Ensemble will take place Wednesday, August 28, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Frank Center. Auditions are open to area student musicians and community members who play violin, viola, cello, and bass. String students in grades 4-12 should prepare a piece of music to perform and be ready to play scales 2-3 octaves and sight-read. Wind and percussion students interested in auditioning should contact Sherry Sykes, Community Music program coordinator.
The Community Orchestra and Junior String Ensemble are made up of advanced elementary, middle, and high school string students from Jefferson and Berkeley counties and Washington County, Maryland. The ensembles present two concerts during the school year. Tuition is $150 per semester. Community Orchestra and Junior String Ensemble faculty are Heather Austin-Stone, violin; Renee Shaw Nutwell, violin and Junior String Ensemble director; Kathy Shrader, viola; Camilo Pérez-Mejía, cello and Community Orchestra director; and Brian Lange, winds. Students from Shepherd also participate in the orchestra.
Beginning September 4, the Junior String Ensemble will rehearse Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. and the Community Orchestra will rehearse Wednesday from 7:30-9 p.m.
Youth Chorus auditions set
Auditions for the Shepherd Youth Chorus will take place Wednesday, September 4, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Students in grades 3-8 are encouraged to audition. Celebrating his 12th season as director of the chorus, Dr. David Gonzol, will be listening to all students auditioning. Angela Weaver, Shepherd alumna and music instructor at Driswood Elementary School, is the assistant director of the chorus.
Students may audition on a first-come, first-served basis, but should contact Sykes to put a child’s name on the audition list. The Shepherd Youth Chorus will meet every Wednesday from 6:10-7:30 p.m. beginning September 11. Tuition for the semester is $150.
For more information, contact Sykes at 304-876-5248 or ssykes@shepherd.edu.
— 30 —
