Forty-Four orchestra students in Lexington-Richland School District Five have earned a spot in the South Carolina Music Educators Association’s (SCMEA) Midlands Region 3 Orchestra.
The Midlands Orchestra Region is comprised of Abbeville, Aiken, Calhoun, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenwood, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Richland, and Saluda counties.
The Region Orchestra is made up of three orchestras divided by grade levels: 6-8 Junior Orchestra, 9-10 Senior Orchestra, and 11-12 Senior Orchestra. School District Five students selected include:
Region Orchestra (Grades 6-8)
Maddox Nie (Dutch Fork Middle)- 4th Chair Violin 1
William Wang (Dutch Fork Middle)- 8th Chair Violin 1
Jia Jun (Chapin Intermediate)- 12th Chair Violin 1
Giap Dao (Irmo Middle School)- 14th Chair Violin 1
Seomgeun Shim (Chapin Middle)- 15th Chair Violin 1
Carson Witteborg (Dutch Fork Middle)- 16th Chair Violin 1
Mustafa Azhar (Dutch Fork Middle)- 6th Chair Violin 2
Kinsey Johnson (Chapin Middle)- 12th Chair Violin 2
Danika Kochems (Chapin Intermediate)- 16th Chair Violin
Annaleah Shelley (Chapin Middle)- 1st Chair Cello
Daniel Kwak (Chapin Middle) 2nd Chair Cello
Hansen Haning (Dutch Fork Middle)- 4th Chair Cello
Christiana Brown (Dutch Fork Middle)- 6th Chair Cello
Evan Thacker (Dutch Fork Middle)- 8th Chair Cello
Kataleya Furie (Chapin Middle)- 9th Chair Cello
Michael Wang (Dutch Fork Middle)- 12th Chair Cello
Sarah Wildt (Chapin Middle)- 2nd Chair Bass
Region Orchestra (Grades 9-10)
Taehoon Noh (Dutch Fork High)- 3rd Chair Violin 1
Yewon Oh (Chapin High)- 17th Chair Violin 1
Ashley Shin (Dutch Fork High)- 3rd Chair Violin 2
Jacob Parker (Dutch Fork High)- 8th Chair Violin 2
Aamina Azhar (Dutch Fork High)- 18th Chair Violin 2
Leo Ha (Dutch Fork High)- Alternate 2 Violin 2
Anusha Das (Dutch Fork High)- Alternate 4 Violin 2
Josie Fields (Dutch Fork High)-1st Chair Viola
Jennifer Liu (Dutch Fork High)- 3rd Chair Viola
Natalie Claire Baley (Irmo High)- 11th Chair Viola
Alexa Metcalf (Chapin High)- 12th Chair Viola
Max Nie (Dutch Fork High)-1st Chair Cello
Thomas McKinney (Dutch Fork High)- 3rd Chair Cello
Elizabeth Yong (Dutch Fork High)- 5th Chair Cello
William Wang (Dutch Fork High)- 7th Chair Cello
Kaitlyn Bailey (Irmo High)- 9th Chair Cello
Isabel Martin (Dutch Fork High)- Alternate 2 Cello
Noah Graham (Irmo High School)- 3rd Chair Bass
Region Orchestra (Grades 11-12)
Sakyo Maeda (Dutch Fork High)- 3rd Chair Violin 1
Seigo Maeda (Dutch Fork High)- 7th Chair Violin 2
Sheldon Harris (Irmo High)- 10th Chair Violin 2
Alexander Williams (Dutch Fork High)- 7th Chair Viola
Carolina Huang (Dutch Fork High)- 1st Chair Cello
Ian Emmer (Dutch Fork High)- 2nd Chair Cello
Drew Dabe (Dutch Fork High)- 6th Chair Cello
Quinn Ineson (Irmo High)- Alternate 2 Cello
“We have a lot of dedicated students and teachers in our district that are committed to making great music which has helped us achieve such a great accomplishment,” School District Five Coordinator of Athletics, Physical Education, & Arts Steven Puckett said. “Region Orchestra is a wonderful opportunity for students to perform with the finest student musicians in the Midlands of South Carolina and to perform under the direction of a renowned conductor.”
The Midlands Region Orchestra is a two-day orchestra event for distinguished string players and a requirement for students in order to audition for the All-State Orchestra.
The Midlands Region Orchestra event is November 18 and 19 at the University of South Carolina-Aiken. The event is open to the public.
