GREENFIELD – Local orchestra students recently participated in honor groups across the state.
On Nov. 18, four Greenfield Central Junior High School eighth graders represented the Greenfield-Central orchestras at the South-Central Indiana Jr. High All-Region Honor Orchestra hosted by the Indiana chapter of the American String Teachers Association (INASTA) at the University of Indianapolis.
Students were violinists Cailyn Plebanski and Matison DeArmond; cellist Quentin Goolsbee; and bassist Kaitlyn Giddings.
The South-Central Indiana All-Region Honor Orchestra (junior high), coordinated by INASTA, is a festival orchestra made up of the top middle school orchestra students from all over Indiana south of I-70. In addition to getting to perform with other top players in their age group, students received masterclasses from experts on their respective instruments, and they worked with a guest conductor. This year’s guest conductors were Kathleen Swayzee, a retired orchestra director from Zionsville; and Dr. David Eccles, an orchestra director from the Atlanta area who has been nationally recognized for his accomplishments as an educator.
On Nov. 19, two Greenfield-Central High School orchestra students represented G-C at the inaugural High School All-Region Honor Orchestra, hosted by INASTA at Franklin Central High School. Students were cellist Ella Neill, senior; and bassist Julian Anderson, sophomore.
This was the first year for High School All-Region Orchestra.
“Orchestra directors across the state have been interested in this kind of event like we have been doing at the junior high level for years,” G-C orchestra director Grant Pfifer said in an email. “This year, INASTA was able to pull off the logistics of making an event this big possible. Personally, I’m so glad, as an INASTA member, we were able to get a high school honor orchestra going and I can’t wait to see us grow the event in years to come, showing off more of the great work orchestra students across our state are doing!”
