Over the weekend of March 16 and 17, the Orchestra department competed in their State Assessments and did extremely well, orchestra director Anne Rupert said. The middle school string ensemble, middle school concert orchestra and high school chamber orchestra all earned Excellent ratings, and the middle school sinfonietta, high school sinfonia, the high school concert orchestra and the philharmonic orchestra all received Superior Ratings at their assessment.

As a result of their high results, both the middle school and high schools orchestras at the school will be awarded the “Blue Ribbon” award, meaning all of the advanced ensembles in all music departments (band, orchestra and chorus) received Superior Ratings as the State Assessment. However, their schedules are not going to lighten up anytime soon; the next stop will be Nationals on April 17-21. The high school will be travelling to Atlanta, GA while the middle school heads to Williamsburg, VA. Along with the change of the location, the rating system won’t be the same as it is for State Assessments.

“While at those destinations, we will compete against other ensembles of our ability,” Rupert said. “This time it’s not only for a rating like we had at assessment but also for first/second/third place within our divisions.”

The changing structure of the rating means they’ll also be competing for things such as trophies and national recognition.

“It’s an exciting time and all of our rehearsals and performances are preparing us for the competitions yet to come,” Rupert said. “Miss Sargent and I are very proud of our students and so pleased they worked so hard to earn the excellence that shines through on stage.”