At Somers High School, the honors chamber orchestra also plays in the postseason

SOMERS, N.Y. - At Somers High School, athletes aren’t the only students who compete successfully at the states and sectionals. The Chamber Orchestra can lay a pretty strong claim, too.

Up first, Charlotte Wilke-Olsen made her run and performed recently at New Rochelle High School with other qualifiers. 

“It’s really cool, because you’re playing with a bunch of people you never met before,” said the viola player, “and it comes together really nice.”

Getting there, the spotlight doesn’t take synergy into account. “You perform a solo, get a score, and if it’s high enough, you are considered,” said the senior.

A long time coming, Wilke-Olsen began playing in the third grade, and her choice of instrument kept it in the family. 

“One sister played the violin, and the other played the cello. So, if I played the viola, we could be a trio,” she remembered.

Both eventually quitting, Charlotte continued to carry the torch, and the Chamber Orchestra makes for good family too. This is especially with regard to the back and forth.

“What I like about the orchestra is you do so much communicating without even thinking. We’re playing, we’re doing body gestures to communicate with the other sections,” she said. “It’s a really interesting way to interact with people.”

Alongside, Emme Quinn gets the most from the scaled-down nature of the chamber. 

“I get to practice more with smaller groups so I learn more,” said the violin player

The notes aren’t the only thing in harmony either.  “We have a bond no one can break,” said the sophomore.

All together, the results speak for themselves. Another all-stater, the honor was pretty cool, according to the violin player.

A rung down, Hannah Jeon was an all-county performer for Somers, but playing the violin makes her a winner no matter what.  “I love that it’s so expressive, and that you can do many different things with a violin,” said the freshman.

In turn, classical music provides a paradigm that has no limit. “It’s timeless,” she assured.

Delivering the goods ain’t bad either. “It’s definitely the best when the music is all working out, and everything is falling into place,” she said.

She’s also learned that a good musician knows how to work a sleight of hand when a mistake is made. “You don’t think about it,” said Jeon. “Keep going, it’s a skill that you have to master as a musician.”

A misdirection that is probably a little harder on the cello base. “I’m the foundation of the orchestra,” said Leikha Shanthan. “I keep the beat  and the rhythm steady.”

All county for her efforts, the news was a surprise. “I was like - 'what, I got it?’” the freshman conveyed.

She did and so did Landon Bleasdale. The violin is his weapon of choice, and it was love at first sight. “In elementary school, I saw the violin, and I was like, that looks very cool. I want to play that.”

A two-tiered system as he sees it. “The violin is pretty easy, but the music written for it is very difficult,” said the senior. 

So is his hitting a good ground stroke, the captain of the tennis team knows. “They are polar opposites,” said Bleasdale. “Athletics and music - it’s great.”