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FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — Eighty of the brightest string students from across Alabama and neighboring states will be coming into the Shoals for the University of North Alabama's second Honor Orchestra Festival.
Shoals Symphony at UNA music director Daniel Stevens said there will be nearly double the number of high school students from last year, resulting in a need for two orchestras — the Honor Orchestra and the Festival Orchestra.
"I'll be conducting the Honor Orchestra, those who auditioned and made the top group," Stevens said. "Those top 35 or 36 students will play with the Shoals Symphony in addition to playing a few pieces by themselves."
The Festival Orchestra will be led by Michael Gagliardo, conductor of the Etowah Youth Orchestra in northeast Alabama.
Gagliardo judged the solo artist competition in 2015, and Stevens said he's a good fit for a second conductor.
"(Gagliardo) has several ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) awards for creative programming, and he's known across the nation for his Etowah Youth Orchestra's holiday pops concert every year that people love," he said.
"There's no better way to bring a second conductor, no body better to kick it off right than him. He's got a good energy that the kids really like."
Gagliardo said he had a few students attend the 2015 UNA Honor Orchestra Festival and had high praises for it.
"They said it was a fantastic musical and educational experience," he said. "To be a part of it is a nice honor."
The past festival hit all three important parts for his students, Gagliardo said, explaining it was a positive musical and educational experience, and they had a good time in the process.
The two youth orchestras and the Shoals Symphony Orchestra will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, in Norton Auditorium.
Tickets are $15, $18 or $22 for adults depending on the section, and $5 for students, and can be purchased at shoalssymphony.una.edu.
The 80 or so students who will be a part of the orchestras are in the eighth through 12th grades. Both groups will rehearse on Friday before the festival and the day of the festival.
Stevens said the Honor Orchestra Festival is both a recruiting tool for the Shoals Symphony and UNA's music department and an educational outreach opportunity. A handful from the 2015 orchestra registered as UNA students for the fall semester and several from the current festival are considering attending UNA this year.
"We're excited to have so many string players coming from very strong programs and looking at UNA," he said.
"This also becomes an educational outreach opportunity to mentor young budding musicians to give them an opportunity to play side-by-side with professionals."
Stevens said they are able to offer this to students with minimal out-of-pocket costs.
Attendees will have to pay for their travel to Florence, one night at a hotel and one dinner.
Gagliardo said a goal of the festival is to give students something they don't get in their school or private programs.
"Obviously, these students are all exceptional musicians coming out of great high school programs and private studios," he said.
"So for us, it's a challenge to fill in any gaps. I remember from my experience as a student when you walk away, you may not have a laundry list of here are the things I learned, but maybe have one thing from each experience that stands out.
"It's all a part of the collective experience that goes toward making you a better musician. That's our goal, what we're trying to accomplish."
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Information from: TimesDaily, http://www.timesdaily.com/
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