Students perform in honors orchestra

Five outstanding musicians from Sisters took the stage with dozens of their peers from around Central Oregon on November 9 as part of the Central Oregon Middle School and High School Honors Orchestra.

The students were all recommended by Sisters music director Jody Henderson for their talent and dedication. The students had to demonstrate that dedication in two grueling days of rehearsal. The students rehearsed for six hours on Tuesday, November 8, then worked another six hours the next day, with the concert performance following on Wednesday night.

That was on top of hours of practice on their own.

“I’m really proud of these students,” Henderson said. “It takes a lot of motivation for string players to do something like this when they don’t have a formal orchestra program in their school district.”

High school performers Billy Mitchell (cello) and Jared Henderson (bass) performed a “concerto Grosso” by Vaughn Williams and “Molly on the Shore” by Australian Percy Granger.

“I had a great time doing it and playing in that setting,” Mitchell said.

The 17-year-old junior had high praise for director Cindy Petty, whom he called “probably the best director I’ve played under.”

Jared Henderson, Jody’s son, laughingly noted that he was “directed toward” the bass. He said it was “really cool” that string players who don’t have orchestras could “get together and do that.”

Their younger peers thought it was pretty cool too — though challenging.

Sabrina Dolson, a sixth-grader, said she was drawn to the violin after watching videos of Cirque du Soliel.

“I liked the way the violins sounded,” she said.

Playing in an orchestral setting was a new experience for her and for Trevor Ford (cello).

“It sounded a lot different from a single person doing one piece,” Dolson said.

Ford, whose father also plays cello in a symphony, picked his instrument for pragmatic reasons after starting on the violin.

“I didn’t like standing, which is really lame, but...” he said.

He also likes the fact that his dad can teach him in addition to his regular teacher.

Ford loved the honors orchestra experience and he wants to take up the bass so he can play that instrument in a future honors orchestra.

There were nine cellos and three basses on stage at the middle school concert. Dolson and fellow violinist Amity Calvin were among 30 violins.

Calvin was enthusiastic about the experience.

“(Director) Michael Gesme has a way of making it so fun,” she said.

Calvin was inspired to pick up the violin after watching another Sisters student, Jacob French, at A Sisters Act.

“He was so fast with it, I was just amazed,” she said. “I liked the sound of it and I just decided ‘that’s what I want to do.’”

Calvin said that, as hard as the work was, it was fun and she definitely wants to be part of an honors orchestra again.