On May 9th, Mentor High’s very own orchestra had their last concert of the year. At this concert every orchestra and quartet played. At Mentor High we have four separate orchestras: Concert, Sinfonia, Symphony, and Mannheim, along with two quartets – The Puccini Quartet and The Adonis Blue Quartet.

At the concert, Concert Orchestra played Conquistador by Deborah Monday, Spy vs. Spy by Matt Turner, and Blue Rhythmico by Kirt Moiser. Sinfonia Orchestra played Swamp Thang by Richard Meyer and Lullaby by William Hofeldt. Sinfonia and Mannheim combined to play Marche Slave by Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky and arranged by Lynne Latham. Mannheim played Serenade, another piece by Tchaikovsky. Symphony played Danse Sacrée and Profane by Claude Debussy in which Jaden McDonald had a harp solo, and Czardas by Vittorio Monti in which Ethan Eskins had a solo as well. Gershwin by George by Jerry Brubaker, and Symphony No. 8 Mv. 4 Allegro ma non troppo by Antonin Dvorak were also performed. The Puccini Quartet played Quartet No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich and the Adonis Blue Quartet played String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 “American” by Antonin Dvorak.

In order to learn more about all the orchestras we interviewed the one of teacher of mentor’s orchestra program Mr. Yoke

Cardinal Nation: What is Concert Orchestra?

Mr. Yoke: Concert Orchestra is an ensemble, containing only instruments from the string family. (It) serves as an entry level high school ensemble. Students in this course are instrumental in selecting the music for our concerts, as well as dictating the pace of education to a certain degree. The main focus of the course is continuing the enjoyment of music making, with learning more complex music at a consistent pace being a secondary objective.

Cardinal Nation: What is Sinfonia Orchestra?

Mr. Yoke: Sinfonia Orchestra is an ensemble containing only instruments from the string family (and) serves as a bridge from our middle school ensembles to our top tier high school ensembles.  Students in this ensemble will not only be exposed to exercises that help improve their physical skills, but they will also be exposed to musical pieces that elevate their musicianship skills beyond the middle school level. With the conclusion of this course each year, every student will be given an opportunity to audition for the Symphony and Mannheim Orchestras.

Cardinal Nation: What is Symphony Orchestra?

Mr. Yoke: Symphony Orchestra is built with the top string, woodwind, brass, and percussion students in our district.  The students perform professional-level compositions and each year will enter the OMEA State Orchestra Contest in the highest tier available. In order to be recommended for this course, students must score high enough on an entrance audition which requires a solo performance of music that is indicative of our OMEA class. These auditions occur in the spring and are open to any 8th grade string student as well as any student who has completed a year in the Concert Orchestra.

Cardinal Nation: What is Mannheim Chamber Orchestra Orchestra?

Mr. Yoke: Mannheim Chamber Orchestra is an extra-curricular ensemble built with the top string students in the district. The students perform professional level compositions and, like the Symphony Orchestra, enter the OMEA State Orchestra Contest each year in the highest tier available. In order to be considered for this extra curricular ensemble, students must score high enough on an entrance audition which requires a solo performance of music that is indicative of our OMEA class. These auditions occur in the spring and are open to any 8th grade string student as well as any student who has completed a year in the Concert or Symphony Orchestra.

Cardinal Nation: What are the quartets and why did you create the quartets?

Mr. Yoke: The quartets are a four person, extra-curricular, ensemble created from the elite tier of string musicians in the Mentor Orchestra Program. Students will be selected through a very difficult audition process. After (being) selected, the group will rehearse once a week after school hours. Mr. Singler, the group’s coach, is a professional musician who has extensive experience and knowledge in chamber music and general string musicianship. I created the quartets because there was a need for our top few students to continue learning more difficult music, and that I have an amazing friend who is a current professional in the performance field willing to coach the group on a weekly basis. This ensemble is available for concerts outside the normal schedule and in certain circumstances can be used to promote and fundraise for the orchestra program. To obtain a spot in this ensemble, you must WIN a very intense audition process. The group only contains two violinists, 0ne violist, and one cellist.

At the concert, students were given awards based on what they did throughout the year. Ben Wong won the Mentor Orchestra Junior Class Leadership Award. Matt Dawson won the Mentor Orchestra Outstanding Junior Arion Award. Lindsey Kintop won the Mentor Orchestra Outstanding Wind or Percussion Player. Aurora Madea and Abby Bickel won the Mentor Orchestra Service Award. Ethan Eskins and Vinson Moats won the Mentor Orchestra Outstanding String Player. Maura Murray and Emma Stafford won the Mentor Orchestra Directors Award. Lastly, Sophia Sherman won the National School Orchestra Award.

Good luck to the seniors who will be graduating this year and special congratulations to those who won awards. If you wanted to watch the concert yourself but missed it check the livestream from that night on Cardinal TV Mentor Ohio’s YouTube page.