Honor Musicians Hit a High Note : Student Group Says Exhausting Work for Concert Paid Off

After a weekend’s worth of intense preparation, the All-Southern California High School Honor Band and Orchestra took the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s stage for a Sunday afternoon concert.

The 200 student musicians, representing the state’s 11 southernmost counties, rehearsed all day Friday and Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. They had a dress rehearsal Sunday morning at the Performing Arts Center. They worked nearly, some said, to the point of exhaustion.

“It was really intense, but I learned a lot,” said Tustin High School senior Debi Tanksley, a violinist who said the rehearsals were tough but worth it.

Members of the honor band and orchestra were chosen through a series of auditions. Approximately 400 students initially submitted performance tapes, and based on these, the judges called the best back for auditions. Each audition consisted of the student playing scales and a prepared piece as well as sight reading of music.

“The audition was hard,” admitted violinist Brian Lim, an Irvine High School junior. “During the sight reading I was sweating.”

Responsible for bringing together the Southland’s best was the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Assn., a nonprofit group that since 1945 has given gifted students the opportunity to perform challenging musical pieces under the direction of top conductors.

“All the students from the schools (in the 11 counties) are welcome to audition for the honor band and orchestra,” said Judy Gunderson, executive secretary of SCSBOA.

This year’s students offered a variety of reasons for participating.

“I heard a recording from last year’s honor orchestra and it sounded really professional,” said Irvine High senior Agnes Huang, a violinist. “Since then, I have wanted to be a part of it.”

This marked the second year in the honor orchestra for University High School’s Elizabeth Wright. “It’s one of the best experiences of the year for me,” the senior cellist said. “It’s really rewarding.”

This was also the second year the students have played at the Performing Arts Center, enough of an experience alone to be memorable for many of the young musicians.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Fountain Valley High School’s Jinah Chung, a junior violinist. “A lot of good (professional) musicians have played here before.”

The orchestra, under the direction of conductor Larry Rachleff, a professor of music at USC, kicked off Sunday’s performance with the fourth movement of Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major and finished with Leonard Bernstein’s “Overture to Candide.”

The band, under conductor Jerry Junkin, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, followed with John Philip Sousa’s “Washington Post March,” the second movement (“O Sacred Head Now Wounded”) of William P. Lathan’s “Three Chorale Preludes” and Karel Husa’s “Music for Prague 1968.”