MANASSAS – (Press Release) Strasburg High School sophomore string bass player, Raegan Fisher, is the youngest member of the MSO, and has been performing with the orchestra since last season.  She will be the featured soloist at the MSO’s Annual Family Concert, All Creatures Great and Small, on Saturday December 8 at 3:30 pm at the Hylton Performing Arts Center.  She will be presenting two movements of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. The Elephant movement of the piece is written for string bass solo, and the plan was for her to play it with the orchestra.  But at the suggestion of her father, she offered to play The Swan movement also which was originally written for cello, and is very challenging to play on string bass.  Her performance should not be missed.

Raegan began her musical training as a cellist when she was in the sixth grade.  Her teacher challenged her to try the string bass.  Since Raegan is only 4’10” tall and her bass is 7’6”, this presented some obstacles that needed to be overcome.  She sits on a stool when she plays, and that enables her to get a better reach.  Her efforts were extremely successful, and she has been recognized by selection to several county and regional ensembles, and was the youngest musician in Shenandoah County to participate in the Virginia All-State Band and Orchestra.