Yee Lim Shin — Staff Writer

On June 7, Dordt University will host the High School String Festival Concert in the BJ Haan Auditorium. A total of 80 students from Western Christian High School, Unity Christian High School, and Dordt’s Chamber Orchestra will be participating in this biannual orchestra festival. Each school orchestra group will perform their individual pieces and then combine to play three mass orchestra pieces.

The mass practice where all the schools meet to rehearse their combined pieces will be held the same afternoon before the event. The practice will also have sectionals that are run by Dordt’s adjunct strings facility.

The High School String Festival Concert provides opportunities for both college and high school orchestra students to interact with each other.

Janna Vanden Brink, a sophomore instrumental music education major at Dordt, previously participated in the orchestra festival as a freshman and junior with Unity Christian High School.

“It was an experience in which I could continue to get out of my shell and get to know others who have the same passions I did for music.” she said.

Events like these give both high school and college orchestra students a chance to interact and learn from each other.

“Musical growth happens when sitting in an ensemble next to someone new,” stated Susan De Jong Dordt assistant Instrumental director and Chamber Orchestra director. “For our college students, this is a wonderful way for them to show hospitality to others on our campus.”

High-school students get to experience a college atmosphere while the Dordt orchestra students can converse and recruit the high-schoolers. The Orchestra Festival is a good way for both high-school and college students to collaborate and share their love for orchestral music.