Tehachapi musicians make middle school honors orchestra
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Pictured are Young Tehachapi musicians who auditioned for and made it into the All Kern Middle School Honors Orchestra. Quite an honor, and A lot of hard work on the part of the students; to get five of Tehachapi’s students into the orchestra. Musicians in the picture are left to right: Violinist Elena Quintanilla, Cellist Piper Meisler, Violinist Matthew Rails, and Violinist Mia Bonham. Not pictured,Taylor Welch
Five of Tehachapi’s middle school-age string players auditioned and were selected for the All Kern County Middle School Honors Orchestra.
Violinists Taylor Welch, Mia Bonham, Elena Quintanilla, and Matthew Rails and Cellist Piper Meisler. Quintanilla, Rails, and Meisler all attend Carden School of Tehachapi; Mia Bonham attends Valley Oaks Charter School, and Taylor Welch attends Jacobsen Middle School.
In addition to playing classical music, these five young musicians are all championship old time fiddlers as well, with trophies and medals to attest to their skill. They will all be playing in the upcoming CSOTFA Amateur Fiddle Contest on Saturday, March 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Carden School.
Participation in the All Kern Honors Orchestra is by audition only.
Interested middle school musicians compete annually against other middle school musicians from all over Kern County. They are required to play a number of scales by memory and to play a required piece from the repertoire of their upcoming concert. They are judged by a team of music educators who conduct orchestra programs in various schools throughout the county. Often there are close to 100 violinists who compete for about 40 seats in the Honors Orchestra.
After being selected, the students must attend four or five marathon rehearsals in Bakersfield, culminating in a concert, along with the Middle School Honors Band and Honors Chorus, at Rabobank Convention Center at 7 p.m., Feb. 23.
For more information on music-making in Tehachapi, visit the Symphony’s website at www.tehachapiorchestra.com or contact Concertmaster Gayel Pitchford at 821-7511.
