There are five different levels of orchestra: Beginner, Intermediate, Junior, Senior and Chamber. Students from all levels have an important role to play in the orchestra department.
“I guess it makes me feel a little responsible…I feel like it’s a big responsibility to lead a giant orchestra like that,” Eva Wesley, ‘29, the first chair violinist in Chamber Orchestra, said.
Wesley started playing young, at the age of five, and has been around music for a long time, playing in the CPS Jazz Academy four years ago. The academy is a week-long experience for promising musicians with daily classes in disciplines such as jazz ensembles, theory and more.
Another former attendee of a CPS music school, young player Daylon Acklin, ‘28, is the only student harpist in the school. He plays for Senior Orchestra even though he is only in ninth grade.
“I started playing in fourth grade,” Acklin said. “I attended CAPA [Cincinnati Academy of Performing Arts], and there was a harp there.”
Being the sole harp player has many benefits, including having more centered attention.
“Since there aren’t too many people, I usually get some solos and a section to myself,” Acklin said.
Similar to Acklin, Junior Orchestra violinist Dharshenee Kasiviswanathan, ‘30, has a unique position in her orchestra. Kasiviswanathan is first chair violinist, quite a feat for someone who started playing only two years ago, in fifth grade.
“It was these two songs, ‘Swan Lake’ and a song called ‘The Secret Garden’ that my sister would play that really got me captivated,” Kasiviswanathan said.
As first chair, Kasiviswanathan is in a location where she can hear the music from all angles.
“You hear a blend of everything; you hear the violas, you hear the cellos, you hear the second [violin]s and obviously you hear the first [violins],” Kasiviswanathan said.
Brandon Smith, ‘29, a violist in Intermediate Orchestra and a first chair like Kasiviswanathan, shares similar views on the role and responsibilities of their respective orchestras.
“I like my position in orchestra because it’s pretty much stress-free, and I don’t have to worry about catching up to the other players,” Smith said.
For students who wish to find the same success as these talented young musicians, they have one key piece of advice.
“Practice makes perfect. I know you’ve heard that a thousand times, but it actually does,” Smith said.