South Hills Junior Orchestra has kicked off its Fall/Winter 2022 season with regularly scheduled weekly rehearsals.
Free trial practices of SHJO are free and open to amateur musicians of all ages. They are held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays at Upper St. Clair High School, 1825 McLaughlin Run Road.
The orchestra is directed by an all-volunteer music staff led by retired public school teachers Paul Fox and Donna Fox. Made possible in part by Upper St. Clair School District, the SHJO Booster Organization and professional music educators and community volunteers donating their services, SHJO is nonprofit and noncompetitive, and supports school string and band programs in Western Pennsylvania.
The staff, families and supporters of SHJO have been honored to be a part of 40 years of educational enrichment, philanthropy and community service, performing 200-plus concerts in numerous cities across the United States and Canada, and raising more than $35,000 for school district and local charities.
There are openings in SHJO for all instrumental sections: strings (violin, viola, cello, and string bass), woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, alto or tenor saxophone, and bassoon), brasses (trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba) and percussion.
Newcomers, students in fourth grade and up, are encouraged to try SHJO for a three-week free-trial basis any time throughout the year. In addition, adults are invited to brush up their skills, or learn a new instrument, and join the weekly orchestra practices.
“No one has ever been turned away,” Paul Fox said. “In support of our tagline – where members learn, grow and lead – SHJO nurtures the players’ own realization of creative self-expression. Rehearsals are stress-free opportunities for musicians to develop their skills, explore orchestral and chamber literature, and collaborate with others in the making of beautiful music.”
Executive director Donna Fox added:
“It’s a family-friendly experience where members find their true self-confidence and expand their musical thinking from being ‘note-tians’ to becoming musicians with interpretative understanding and sensitivity in the collaborative environment of an orchestra.”
For more information, contact SHJO Managing Director Janet Vukotich at mdirector@shjo.org, call 412-341-5160 or visit www.shjo.org.
