Metro 8 Band and Orchestra Chairs Earned by Principians
November was filled with the sweet sounds of Principia School musicians earning their way into the prestigious St. Louis Metro District 8 (Metro 8) Band and the Metro 8 Orchestra. Competition for a spot in the Metro 8 bands and orchestras is considerable, with students from several public-school districts outside of St. Louis, all St. Louis city schools, and private schools in the St. Louis area vying for a limited number of seats in seven different bands and orchestras. Students compete within their instrument category for different high school or middle school groups.
Metro 8 Band
Nine Middle School students made the band this year. They had the added honor of performing on home turf, as Principia School hosted the Metro 8 Band concert. The performance typically draws a crowd of 500 or more parents and family members from around the region to the School campus.
This year’s Principia School students who made the Metro 8 band are:
Flute: Libby Brown, grade 7—2nd chair
Mina Reihanifam, grade 7—4th chair
Alto Sax: Kate Beck, grade 8—4th chair
Tenor Sax: Sophie Zinn, grade 8—3rd chair
Horn: Rehema Oyugi, grade 8—3rd chair
Marina Benson, grade 8—4th chair
Trombone: Yanahni Hatwaizika, grade 8—8th chair
Percussion: Jakub Vacin, grade 8—6th chair
Ethan Leedberg, grade 7—7th chair
The Middle School Metro 8 band performed in Ridgway Auditorium on November 21, featuring pieces from Russia, a contemporary concert march, and a stately fanfare.
Metro 8 Orchestra
The Metro 8 Orchestra selected a Principia Middle School cellist and an Upper School violinist. Eighth-grader Lucy Keyes auditioned and earned fourth chair in the Metro 8 Middle School Orchestra, and Upper School senior Anouk Lingk earned third chair in the Violin II section of the Metro 8 High School Orchestra.
Keyes and Lingk performed on November 6 at Fort Zumwalt East High School with their respective orchestras—which include some of the top school-age orchestral musicians in the greater St. Louis area. Lingk was one of 50 violinists who auditioned for only 20 spots on the high school orchestra.
“The Metro 8 performances not only allow our students to make connections with other students from area high schools but also connect with them musically,” says Upper School Band Director Johnathan Daniels. “We are working to develop a musical community and culture here at the School and connecting with others outside of our walls is a necessity. Students meet new friends, establish musical relationships, and have an opportunity to make music with others.”
The return to in-person rehearsals and performances was encouraging as students were unable to play with their Metro 8 peers last year.
“The visibility of Principia students participating in these ensembles brings an awareness of the campus that otherwise would not have been there,” Daniels says. “When folks see our students participating with others in these ensembles, it begins to draw them to our campus to find out what we are doing!”