The Orchestras of Sandy Creek High School will host their annual Spring Concert Thursday, May 5, at 7 p.m.
The SCHS performing arts venue – Patriot Hall – will be the site of dynamic performances and unique showcases of student achievement, as one of the state’s top orchestra programs presents “Modern Compositions.” Under the tutelage of renowned music educator Patti Davis, Sandy Creek’s orchestras have repeatedly exceeded expectations both in concert and at competition. All three of the school’s orchestras – Chamber Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra and Concert Orchestra – will perform works written by modern composers, with a little something extra mixed in from each group.
The Chamber Orchestra has been working with Dr. Richard Bell – a distinguished teacher, composer and conductor who is a professor of music at Clayton State University – to create an original composition written by the students themselves. The world premiere of this unique student collaboration with Dr. Bell will take place at the May 5 concert.
The Symphonic Orchestra will welcome a master composer as guest conductor – Dr. Lauren Bernofsky, the Music Director of the Music Arts Youth Organization in Bloomington, Indiana. Dr. Bernofsky, a prolific writer and clinician who has won many awards for her work, will conduct a performance of her own composition, “Heart of Fire,” by the Symphonic Orchestra.
The Concert Orchestra will feature an original composition by Mr. Ryan Harvey, a music student from Columbus State University who has been working with both the Sandy Creek High School and Fayette County High School orchestra programs as a student teacher. Mr. Harvey, who will join the ranks of professional music educators after his graduation in May, will be conducting the Concert Orchestra in the performance of his composition. Patti Davis, who in 2015 led the Sandy Creek Orchestra program to the Georgia Music Educators Association’s most prestigious secondary school award – the Exemplary Performance Award – is anxious to showcase the talents of her students.
“These kids work so hard to perfect their technique and achieve mastery of some very difficult music. It just warms my heart to see them perform at such a high level in concert,” she said. “Music does so much for our communities and has such a profound impact on our quality of life…I am just thrilled to play a small part in helping these young people maximize their potential.”
Admission to the Sandy Creek High School Spring Orchestra Concert is free. Patriot Hall is located on the campus of SCHS at 360 Jenkins Road, Tyrone, GA 30290. Visit www.fcboe.org/schs for more information.
