Symphonic Orchestra

The Symphonic Orchestra is an award winning group open to all string students in grades 9-12, who are interested in playing advanced orchestral literature. It is a curricular course and meets as part of a student's normal schedule.  

The orchestra performs at the winter and spring concerts, festivals, and throughout the community. The orchestra rehearses in class as just strings, and also 2-3 evenings per concert cycle to combine with Symphonic Winds and create a full orchestra.  There is some flexibility with this evening schedule, and arrangements for evening conflicts are worked out on a case by case basis between the student and director.

IMPORTANT INFO FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN: Symphonic Orchestra plays at a collegiate/semi-professional level and does all unarranged music that professional orchestras play. However, no audition is required like in the middle school Symphonic Orchestra. The high school does not offer courses for just string orchestra.  The students that enroll in Symphonic Orchestra are here because they want to be here and are motivated. They generally played in the extra-curricular award winning middle school Symphonic/Chamber program, though having been a part of those groups in middle school is not a requirement to enroll in the course. At times, I have been asked by incoming students if the group would be sufficiently challenging, because we don't have the extensive extra-curricular program offered at the middle school level. I assure you that the quality of what we do is an extension of that excellence, but with a different course structure. I invite you to peruse the videos below to witness the professionalism of the group's sound firsthand.    

The orchestra is made up of a great bunch of kids.  We have great student leadership in the upperclassmen who really work well with their sections to make sure everyone plays the best they can.  There is a real sense of community and everyone gets involved.  

Students are also invited to audition for Chamber Orchestra, which is a co-curricular ensemble. Students who are accepted into the group are pulled from Symphonic Orchestra class to work on the material. The students are expected to learn the music on their own and largely direct themselves, with the director working more as a coach. For more information, visit the Chamber Orchestra page.

Here are links to some of the repertoire we have performed.  Thanks for visiting the page, and feel free to e-mail Mr. Mac with any questions at mmcnamara@ridgefield.org.