Dear AHS Symphony parents,
It is hard to believe that this school year is drawing to a close. It has been an incredible year and I’m so excited to what is upcoming! Congratulations to your child for auditioning into the AHS Symphony! We pride ourselves on continuing the tradition of excellence of orchestral performance at AHS.
As you have probably heard, the AHS Symphony Strings has been accepted to perform at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The dates of the conference are December 19-22, 2018, however our exact performance time has not yet been announced. The Midwest Clinic is an international band and orchestra conference with a 72 year history. Each year there are over 17,000 attendees from 30+ countries. The conference features over 50 concerts and 100 educational sessions among other activities. Being selected to perform at The Midwest Clinic is one of the most prestigious honors awarded to a school music program. Each year only a handful of high school orchestras are selected to perform. For more information about The Midwest Clinic, please see the attached promotional letter.
In an orchestra, the participation of each member of the ensemble is critical to the success of the ensemble. Due to the significance of this accomplishment and the rigor of the performance program, it is expected that every member of Symphony (and the new Chamber Orchestra) attend this trip. In 2006 the Winter Park High School Philharmonic performed at The Midwest Clinic under my direction and I know that the made a profound influence on those students and that a trip to Midwest has the potential to be a life-changing experience for our students as well. Personally, I can attest that my first Midwest performance was one of the highlights of my career thus far.
Our trip to Chicago will come up very quickly, particularly with summer break upon us.In order to effectively plan and inform you of everything that will take place, I would like to have a short meeting on Wednesday, May 23 at 7:00 pm in the orchestra room. At the meeting we will discuss travel plans, costs, summer rehearsals, fundraising opportunities, and more. I would like to answer any questions you may have, and also gauge interest for parents who would like to serve as chaperones.
Please contact me should you be unable to attend this important meeting. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!
Sincerely,
Dr. Laux