Tulsa Honors Orchestra
The Tulsa Honors Orchestra 1979-2012
33 Years of Excellence
Tulsa Honors Orchestra students regularly perform Irish fiddling at McNellie's Irish pub. Pictured from left: Connor Bender, Acadia Brazeal, Emma Ehrle, Nicole Robison, Ashtin Johnson, Lexy Harmon (in front), Greta Connelly, Caleb Sieck, Wyatt Ogle, Carson Ogle, Karen Naifeh Harmon and Austin Pendergrass.
Tulsa Honors Orchestra students regularly perform Irish fiddling at McNellie's Irish pub. Pictured from left: Connor Bender, Acadia Brazeal, Emma Ehrle, Nicole Robison, Ashtin Johnson, Lexy Harmon (in front), Greta Connelly, Caleb Sieck, Wyatt Ogle, Carson Ogle, Karen Naifeh Harmon and Austin Pendergrass.
Jody Naifeh, THO founder 32 years ago and 2011 Recipient of an Oklahoma Governor's Arts Award, conducts the Debutante Orchestra during the 2011 Holiday Concert.
From Left: Sarah Coniglio, Mary Cate Hickman, Bryn Abbott, Jamie Higgins: Performing at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center at a PreConcert Performance of a Tulsa Symphony Orchestra Performance, Jan. 7, 2012.
THO Performance at Tulsa PAC Jan. 7, 2012. From Left: Emma Ehrle, Emma Pendleton, Ashtin Johnson and our TSO coach, Ronnamarie Jensen
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TULSA HONORS ORCHESTRA (THO) is in its 33rd year of providing excellent string instruction to youth string players, as well as providing numerous fantastic performance opportunities. THO regularly performs at Living Arts Festival: Dia De Los Muertos, to rave reviews by audiences. THO will have their Holiday Concert at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame on Monday, Dec 10, 2012 at 5:30pm. The Performance will include Classical music as well as Fiddling, Rock and Tango music.
As well as offering fantastic performance opportunities, THO periodically hires amazing Clinicians to work with the students - above pictured is Christian Howes, one of the most fantastic jazz vioilinists around! The students really enjoyed working with him last September and we will plan a workshop for the students sometime in the 2012-13 season.
THO is comprised of 3 orchestras: Tulsa Honors Orchestra, The Chamber Orchestra and the Debutante Orchestra. THO meets at the Jazz Hall of Fame from 4:30-5:30pm every Monday. The Debutante Orchestra, for beginning sightreading students, also meets from 4:30-5:30pm. The Chamber Orchestra is a more challenging orchestra, which stays for an additional hour, from 5:30-6:30pm.
Other Performances for the year will include the Rockin' Irish Festival at Connor's Cove at the Hardesty Library in March, a Tango Performance in Feb or March to perform as part of the Tulsa Honors Orchestra Fundraiser Performance, and possibly a Demonstration-Performance for Claremore Middle and High School students for the Claremore Symphony League.
THO music directors are Jody Naifeh, the THO founder, and her daughter, Karen Harmon, Violinist/Composer/arranger. We are very thankful to the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra for providing our string coaches, Michael Nicholson and Ronnamarie Jensen. We are pleased to have Austin Pendergrass as our cello coach and Sarah Thomas as our viola coach. We are very thankful to the Oklahoma Art Council for a grant this year. We also very much appreciate the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame for the use of their amazing Hall and all their support!
FEES: Debutante Orchestra: $130 per year ($65 per semester)
Tulsa Honors Orchestra: $130 per year ($65 per semester)
Tulsa Honors Orchestra AND Chamber Orchestra: $200 per year ($100 per semester)
Tuition is due the 1st Rehearsal of the year. You may split your payment in half and pay the 2nd half in January at the 1st rehearsal of the Spring Semester.
AUDITIONS: Held at the end of August each year. Auditions are an important part of learning to play in an orchestra - THO auditions are a relaxed process of evaluating a students sightreading and playing abilities. Be prepared to play a 1, 2 or 3 octave scale, a solo or etude of your choice (need not be memorized) and we will have each student sightread orchestral excerpts to determine the correct placement of each student in an orchestra. Sept 3 is Labor Day - no rehearsal that day. THO will begin rehearsals on Monday, September 10.
2012 Audition Dates:
Monday, August 27: 4:30-6pm Jazz Hall, for Students with
Last Name A-L
Friday, August 31: 4:30-6pm Jazz Hall, for Students with
Last Name M-Z
