The Manassas Symphony Orchestra will feature the talents of high and middle school students in its next concert at the Hylton Performing Arts Center.
Form a press release:
The highlight of the May 12, 2018 Manassas Symphony Orchestra concert at the Hylton Performing Arts Center will be the performance of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, in which 21 high school and middle school musicians will get the opportunity to test their musical abilities. They will have the opportunity to perform alongside the Manassas Symphony musicians.
In Scheherazade, Rimsky-Korsakov musically tells the story of the 1001 Arabian Nights. It is considered his most famous piece, and it presents difficulties even for professional players. High school musicians require significant preparation to perform it. To help in that process, MSO Music Director, James Villani, arranged for a series of workshops in which the students received instruction from MSO performers.
One of the participants, Ryan Mraz, a violist who attends Stonewall Jackson HS in Manassas, has performed with the MSO before. While he has not had private music instruction, he credits his public school teachers for helping develop his considerable talents.
Another performer, Katie Huszcza, a cellist from Colgan HS in Manassas, agrees that the music is very challenging. She is a student of David Harding, principal cellist of the National Symphony Orchestra, and plans to major in cello performance at James Madison University. She looks for opportunities to play advanced level music. Katie has also played with the MSO in the past.
The May 12 concert will conclude its 25th “silver” anniversary season that began in October. Tickets for the event may be purchased on the MSO’s website, and children may attend free.
