Tulsa Honors Orchestra
The Tulsa Honors Orchestra 1979-2009
30 Years of Excellence
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The Tulsa Honors Orchestra is in its 30th year of providing excellent string instruction to youth string players. THO is comprised of 4 orchestras: the Tulsa Honors Orchestra, the Debutante Orchestra, the Strolling Strings and the Chamber Orchestra.
The Debutante Orchestra is the beginning orchestra and it meets from 4:30-5:30pm Mondays at the Jazz Hall of Fame.
The Tulsa Honors Orchestra meets from 4:30-5:30pm at the Jazz Hall of Fame. These students study music at the Junior High level and above to challenge more accomplished players. A wider variety of key signatures and bowing styles are explored, as well as learning to play with proper position and rhythm in an orchestra setting. THO helps young string players stay engaged in and excited about performing music by studying classical, jazz, fiddling and rock music. We are performing at least once per semester: Fall and Spring end of the semester performances at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and the annual Spring performance trip: this year to the Kansas City Jazz Museum (probably April or May).
The Stardust Strolling Strings is our featured entertainment group composed string players of THO. This group rose out of the need for expanded performance opportunities for our advanced students. The students participate in enhanced performances beyond the formal orchestral setting and perform a diversified repertoire of musical styles, including classical, jazz, blues, rock and fiddling. Kathy Rad, Karen Harmon and Jody Naifeh are the music directors. The Strolling Strings have performed in the past for the Harweldon Awards, the Fur Ball and the Dia De Los Muertos Festival at Living Arts.
The Chamber Orchestra is combining with the Strolling Strings group this year. The rehearsal times are 5:30-6:30pm in the Jazz Hall of Fame. The Chamber Orchestra will study the Mozart A Major Concerto for Violin, 1st movement, which is the last piece learned in the Suzuki repertoire, book 10. We will have a guest soloist, Emma Jane Pendleton, join the Orchestra for the Mozart Concerto for our December concert. We will also perform Kashmir, the famous Led Zeppelin song, and Blues for Oaktown by Darol Anger.
The Tulsa Honors Orchestra has received an arts grant this year from the Oklahoma Arts Council. We are also very fortunate to be in the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame this year for rehearsals and concerts.
REHEARSALS: Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, 111 East 1st street, Upper Level of Jazz Depot, downtown Tulsa on 1st street between Cinncinati and Boston.
FEES: Debutante Orchestra: $100 per year
Tulsa Honors Orchestra: $100 per year
Tulsa Honors Orchestra AND Chamber/Strolling Strings: $200 per year
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, beginning of September. 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.
2009 Audition Dates:
8/24 - 4-6pm Jazz Hall, for Students with Last Name A-L
8/27 - 4-6pm at Jody Naifeh's Studio, for Jody and Karen's private violin students
8/31 - 4-6pm Jazz Hall, for Students with Last Name M-Z
