Bentonville High orchestra pursuing national honor in New York City

Sophomore Liam O’Dell plays bass Monday during Bentonville High School’s orchestra rehearsal at the Arend Arts Center at the school.
Sophomore Liam O’Dell plays bass Monday during Bentonville High School’s orchestra rehearsal at the Arend Arts Center at the school.

BENTONVILLE -- Bentonville High School's chamber orchestra will test its talent on a national stage when the group travels to New York City for a competition this weekend.

The ensemble's 32 students will battle nine other schools for the Orchestra Cup, a competition held annually "to crown the top school orchestra in the nation," according to its website. This is the event's 15th year.

The Competition

Here are the schools invited to compete at this weekend’s Orchestra Cup in New York City:

• Bentonville High School

• Clear Lake High School, Houston

• Dorman High School, Roebuck, S.C.

• Maryville High School, Maryville, Tenn.

• Mt. Lebanon High School, Pittsburgh

• North County Senior High School, Glen Burnie, Md.

• Roosevelt High School, Seattle

• Shaker Heights High School, Shaker Heights, Ohio

• Urbana High School, Urbana, Ill.

• W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, Va.

Source: Forte Festivals

Jesse Collett, the School District's director of orchestras, is optimistic about the group's chances, but said the trip is about more than a chance at a trophy.

"Kids need to understand they have such great potential," Collett said. "In order to reach that potential, it takes a lot of hard work. Going to these national competitions shows them what other kids are doing in the country as far as musical performance. And they need to understand that they are able to achieve those high expectations as well."

The competing orchestras will each play up to 25 minutes of music Saturday at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. A panel of four judges will grade the schools' performances.

Bentonville School District's orchestra program started in 2006 and includes 1,100 students from sixth through 12th grade. The program's rapidly growing popularity convinced the School Board to hire another orchestra teacher last year.

Bentonville High School has three orchestras incorporating more than 150 students. The New York City-bound group is the top orchestra comprised students who have auditioned for the privilege. It's made up mostly of juniors and seniors but also has five sophomores and two freshmen, Collett said.

The group took third place out of 12 schools at the American String Teachers Association's national convention in Tampa, Fla., one year ago.

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Owen Radcliffe, a junior, plays the cello. This will be his first time in New York City. He also was part of the orchestra's Tampa trip.

"I think it was good to see how we compare to a lot of the other orchestras" in Tampa, said Radcliffe, 17. "There were some great musicians there. And we didn't win, which I think was a good thing, because we saw where we can improve."

Josh Bernards, a senior, also plays the cello. He said the Bentonville orchestra performed well in Tampa, "but we could have pushed ourselves a little harder, and just been more honest with ourselves in how we are. And I feel like that's made a big difference this year because we've really been honing all the specifics."

Lydia Paxton, an 18-year-old senior, has played the violin for eight years. She said she's excited to represent Bentonville and Arkansas in the Orchestra Cup competition.

"I'm also really excited to compete against other schools and get a broader image of the rest of the nation, because being here it's kind of like we're in a bubble," Paxton said.

There are only four high school orchestra programs in the northern half of Arkansas, which is why these national contests are important for Bentonville, Collett said.

"It's an opportunity for (the students) to grow and realize what else is out there," he said.

Paxton is looking forward to a career in music. First she'll attend Kansas State University, where she plans to major in music education. She practices the violin daily, finding time in between school and a part-time job.

"You have to have a lot of passion about what you're doing, because it can be difficult every day to pick up your instrument and practice when there are so many other things you'd rather be doing," she said.

Bentonville's orchestra also has something many high school orchestras don't: a harpist. Senior Caroline Jorgensen, 18, has been playing the harp since she was 3 years old. Her mother and sister also play it.

She intends to continue studying harp at Brigham Young University and make it into a career.

"After a lifetime, like a thousand hours of practicing, why stop now?" she said with a laugh.

The orchestra flies to New York City on Thursday and will return Monday. Crystal Davis, mother of cello player Will Jackson, is driving a van loaded with orchestra instruments and equipment from Bentonville to New York, Collett said. George Nunnally Chevrolet is lending the van to the group.

Supporters of Bentonville Orchestras, a parent booster club, raised enough money to provide $1,000 per student for the trip. Total cost per student came out to about $1,650, Collett said.

The money came from a silent auction and six free community concerts the orchestra performed. Admission to the concerts was free but donations were accepted, Collett said.

NW News on 03/01/2017

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