Strings program inspires students
Delicate notes, strong accents and beautiful music are all characteristics of our Chamber Orchestra. The strings program recently performed in the Winter Concert and are preparing for their concert that is set to happen in March. Chamber Orchestra is an honors level strings class, in which students complete an audition process to be considered.
Many talented students are part of Chamber Orchestra, including Emery Spencer, senior. Spencer has been playing the violin for eight years and has been part of Chamber Orchestra since her sophomore year.
Spencer began playing violin after hearing how beautiful it sounded, and was quick to learn the unfamiliar instrument after playing the piano five years prior. She has many aspirations for her journey with the violin and hopes to gain a career from it.
“Music has really inspired me. So in college, I’m planning on pursuing it as a minor or at the very least, I’m planning on enrolling in my college’s orchestra,” Spencer said.
Similar to Spencer, Tara Avetisian, junior, plays the violin in Chamber Orchestra and is looking to keep music in her life. She puts her hardwork and talent to good use and contributes to the community.
“I also stay for fifth period on Mondays and Fridays to help out with the fifth period orchestra. Off campus, I play in the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra. I additionally teach violin lessons, and was a mentor for middle school students my freshman year. I was also accepted into an orchestra that will be performing at Carnegie Hall in February,” Avetisian said.
The Chamber Orchestra has grown into a program where students can make new friends, perform and take their instrumental talents to new heights. The orchestra has grown throughout the years and is becoming a staple of our school.
“I’m really proud of how far our orchestra has come. We actually started only a little while ago, I believe around five years ago. So we started off with a really small program with only like seven maybe students. But now, we’ve grown to over 50 I think and that’s a really good thing and it shows that people are becoming more aware of our program, that’s really great to me,” Spencer said.
Both students have been taught by Tina Huang, NPHS Orchestra Director, for several years. “Both Emery and Tara are highly dedicated orchestra students. Not only are they one of the best players in the program, they also set a high standard in terms of their attitude and level of involvement in the strings program,” Huang said. “They are able to meet practice goals consistently, are very attentive in class, and always strive to go a step further to think about how they are approaching a piece of music.”
