The Charlottesville High School Orchestra

By earning an invitation to attend the prestigious International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, the musicians of the Charlottesville High School Orchestra have created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for themselves. They are a hardworking and talented group.

Under the leadership of Laura Mulligan Thomas, the orchestra has grown from eight string players in 1982 to more than 80 this year, making it one of the largest high school orchestra programs in Virginia. This in itself is a noteworthy accomplishment, given the school's relatively small size.

Even more remarkable, every student in the Charlottesville schools is eligible to participate in the orchestra. In doing so, each receives the assistance and encouragement needed to realize his or her musical potential.

In addition, the Charlottesville High School Orchestra is widely recognized as one of the finest in the entire country. During the past nine years, the orchestra has competed in major high school music festivals--from Atlanta to Chicago to New York City--and every time has earned the highest honors, performing music at the most difficult level.

Now the Charlottesville High School Orchestra is ready to take the next step--to compete with the best youth orchestras in the world.

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