In December, Parkland High School hosted an audition for the PMEA District 10 Orchestra. A total of seven students represented Southern Lehigh High School, all of whom were chosen to represent at districts: seniors Christine Lee, Adam Leferovich, and Madeliene Gouck;  juniors Luke Simons and Courtney Herr; and sophomores Megan Krafczyk and Olivia Gouck.

After beating out 600 students, only 117 obtained the high honor of representing in the District 10 Orchestra in a concert performed at Blue Mountain High School from February 5-7. Counties including Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe, Pike, and Schuylkill were represented by the musicians in attendance.

Mr. Chris Evans, music teacher at Blue Mountain High School, was the director of the orchestral.

“The talent at this orchestra was above average,” Mr. Evans said.

These musicians also had the privilege of being conducted by Mr. Ovidiu Marinescu, associate professor at West Chester University.

Once selected for the orchestra, the musicians had to re-audition for seating (ranking) on the first night. The judging was based on the following criteria: rhythm, intonation, dynamics, interpretation, tone, articulation, and technique.

“I have been performing all my life,” sophomore Megan Krafczyk said. “Districts was really enjoyable.”

All the students representing Southern Lehigh have been playing music since childhood.

“I was proud of myself for getting the privilege to perform at districts,” junior Courtney Herr said. “It was also a great experience.”

After re-auditioning at districts, three students — Lee, Leferovich, and Simons — were selected to move on to the next level for the regional performance at the Scranton Musical Festival, held from March 11-13.  Both Lee and Leferovich play string instruments and have been involved in the Young People’s Philharmonic.

“I hope to learn from the experience of a guest coordinator as well the students I will be performing with,” senior Adam Leferovich said prior to the regional concert in Scranton.

Luke Simons qualified to move onto states which will be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania from March 25-28. Simons, who has played the clarinet for the past seven years, looks forward to the experience.

“I have second chair right now,” he said, “and I hope to hold that seat going into the state competition.”