Middle School Orchestra Performance on 8/28/09

Artist: Bob Tozier
School: North Allegheny

Notes:
The ‘best of the best’ strings players from the orchestras at all three middle schools in the North Allegheny School District participated in this group that was selected especially for NA's Back-to-School Ceremony by our middle school orchestra teachers – Dana Leasure from Ingomar; Anne Funk from Carson; and Roger Whisler who teaches at both Ingomar and Marshall. Today, Ms. Leasure and Ms. Funk will be sitting in with our students and Mr. Whisler will be directing.

They will perform “Blue-Fire Fiddler” by Soon Hee Newbold, who was boon in Seoul, Korea and adoped by an American family as an infant. Ms. Newbold’s story will sound familiar to those of us who work at North Allegheny, because she is a high-achieving graduate of a public high school. She began playing piano at age five and violin at age seven and won many prestigious competitions as a child. Newbold attended Frederick High School in Frederick, Maryland, where her interests included science, languages, and drama. She studied German, French, and Russian and completed an internship in AIDS and Cancer research at the National Institute of Health in Ft. Detrick, Maryland. (Doesn’t this sound like so many of the young people that NA gives Distinguished Achievement Awards to every year?) Well,… Ms. Newbold went on to receive her Bachelor of Music degree from James Madison University where she concentrated on film scoring, orchestration, and audio production. As a soloist and as part of professional orchestras throughout the world, Ms. Newbold has appeared in venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center , Wolf Trap , Disney World, Aspen Music Festival and School, and Tanglewood and in countries including Scotland, England, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. She is also a television/film actress and producer.

Soon Hee Newbold, is just like many of the diversely accomplished young musicians who will play for us in just a moment – full of potential with multiple interests and the ability to be successful in a number of career paths. They will be sitting in your classrooms in just a couple of days, waiting to be inspired and encouraged. And who knows? Maybe one day a published composition written by one of them will be played here by NA students of the future. For now, let’s enjoy “Blue-Fire Fiddler.”