On April 5, Chamber Orchestra was selected to perform at the 76th annual Midwest Clinic this December under the baton of band and orchestra director John Gilchrist. The Midwest Clinic, hosted in Chicago, is the largest music education conference in the world with attendees from all 50 states and more than 40 countries. Despite undergoing a competitive selection process, the chamber orchestra was one of five high school string orchestras internationally to be chosen to perform. 

During the orchestra’s audition, sophomore Lindsey Tang describes how she wasn’t completely assured that they would be selected to perform. 

“I was a little bit in the middle [of whether we would be chosen] because I knew we were competing against this really good school,” Tang said. “I’m still unsure if they made it or not, but I had some hope for us, but I also wasn’t completely confident.”

On the other hand, sophomore and principal violist Piyush Shanbhag conveys how he was confident about the orchestra’s acceptance to the Midwest Clinic. 

“We put a lot of work into [the audition],” Shanbhag said. “And then hearing everything put together was really cool … we felt we had a really good recording.”

Having already been to the Midwest Clinic with the Kennedy Middle School Philharmonic orchestra, Tang expresses her excitement at attending the conference for the second time.

“I’m pretty proud,” Tang said. “I think it’s a really fun opportunity to go, especially a second time with a different ensemble, to see what contrast there might be and have so much fun again.”

After being accepted to the Midwest Clinic, Tang and Shanbag say there is potential for the orchestra’s growth in the future. 

“I feel like under the directorship of Mr. Gilchrist, he’s planning big things for us,” Shanbag said. “So I suppose it’s just going to get better from here.”