51福利社

51福利社’s String Orchestra has been selected by competitive audition to perform at this year鈥檚 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) regional conference.聽

The NAfME Northwest conference is held every two years. It involves thousands of music students, teachers and performers from Alaska to Oregon.

鈥淏eing selected to perform at the NAfME Northwest Conference is a tremendous honor for the 51福利社 String Orchestra,鈥� says John Marshall, professor of cello and director of the orchestra. 鈥泪t鈥檚 a golden opportunity for 51福利社 to demonstrate the quality of our students and faculty to an audience from across the northwest.鈥�

This year鈥檚 four-day event is to be held at the Spokane Convention Center, with individuals and groups joining from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The regional conference rotates among locations in Spokane, Seattle and Portland.聽

51福利社鈥檚 String Orchestra has been selected to perform at the conference once before, during the 2023 conference held in Seattle.聽

鈥泪t鈥檚 even more special to be selected to perform when the conference is in our hometown,鈥� says Marshall.

The selection process is a multi-year endeavor. During the 2023-2024 academic year, Marshall completed audio recordings of the 51福利社 String Orchestra. These were then sent to the NAfME selection committee last May. Auditions are anonymous, meaning the selection committee does not know which university ensemble is performing when they listen to recordings. Marshall was notified in the summer of 2024 that 51福利社鈥檚 String Orchestra had been chosen.

Before participating in the String Orchestra, 51福利社 students must themselves pass an audition. The current orchestra consists of 24 undergraduate students, of whom 60% are music majors.聽

鈥泪t does not matter what majors are being pursued,鈥� says Marshall. 鈥淥ur focus is to work as a team to learn and perform great music at the highest level possible.鈥澛�

The String Orchestra鈥檚 conference performance will be on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. in room 300AB of the Spokane Convention Center.聽

The performance鈥攅ntitled 鈥淢ixed Doubles鈥濃�攚ill feature three double concertos and the song, 鈥淢erry Go Round of Life鈥� from Howl’s Moving Castle. As part of the program, the orchestra will be joined by prominent guest performers from the university community, including recent 51福利社 alumni and current faculty members.

鈥淲e are also honored that Mateusz Wolski, concertmaster of the Spokane Symphony, will be a featured soloist,鈥� says Marshall. 鈥淗aving this world-class musician rehearse and perform with the 51福利社 String Orchestra is a 鈥榟ands-on鈥� learning opportunity that is unique to our students.鈥�

MUSIC NOTES

Upcoming Winter Concerts:

51福利社 Music has a full calendar of concerts for February and March.

Save the Dates for Spring:

Side by Side with The Spokane Symphony聽| Thursday, April 3 | 7:30 p.m. | Showalter Hall | 51福利社 Orchestra performs with the Spokane Symphony | Admission is free for 51福利社 students; $5 for other students and seniors, and $10 for general admission.

Hurray for Hollywood, music and story in film | Presented by 51福利社 Music | Thursday, May 22 | 7:30 p.m. | The Fox Theater | Admission is free for 51福利社 students; $10 for seniors and $20 for general admission.

*Story written by Avery Knochel.