The MHSO is very proud of Eshan Parkash, a junior member of the McLean High School Philharmonic Orchestra, who was chosen to perform with the National Association for Music Educator’s All-National Orchestra in their new virtual format in January!

Eshan began playing the violin at the age of 5. He currently studies under Ko Sugiyama, a former student of The Juilliard School and current assistant concertmaster of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Under his direction, Eshan won a division of The Joseph and Goldie Feder Memorial String Competition, and also rose in ranks to being the concertmaster of The Capitol Symphonic Youth Orchestra’s most advanced orchestra. Additionally, Eshan participated in both the Northern Virginia Regional Orchestra and All-Virginia State orchestra as a freshman and sophomore, most notably being ranked 5th in the region as a junior and 7th in the state as a sophomore. His acceptance into the All-Virginia Sate Orchestra last school year led to the opportunity to audition for the All-Nationals level. Congratulations, Eshan!

Even though it’s still only autumn, it’s never too soon to dream of a snowy winter! The McLean HS Orchestra Parents Association is selling holiday greens in order to raise funds to support the virtual orchestras classes with guest artists, performers, and lecturers this year.
 
Live greens from Sherwood Forrest Farms are the perfect winter decoration, make a wonderful holiday gift, and are even delivered directly to the recipient! This is a great way to support the orchestra program and bring some holiday cheer to family and friends during this unprecedented time of social distancing. Not only do the greens look wonderful, but they also smell great, too! And with a few spritzes of water once a week, they can last for months without decaying. With items being delivered directly to the customer this year, it’s an excellent COVID-safe gift option for family and friends.

Congratulations to the following students who auditioned for and were accepted into the 2020-2021 Northern Virginia Senior Regional Orchestra:

Violin:
Eshan Parkash, 1st violin
Tyler Park, 1st violin
Michelle Kim, 1st violin
Donghwa Shin, 1st violin
Joshua Wang, 2nd violin
Ella Park, 2nd violin
Cristina Pak, 2nd violin
Caleb Wang, 2nd violin
Elif Murat, 2nd violin

Viola:
Eleanor David
Mikayla Li

Cello:
Jacob Daniels
Christina Wu
Isaac Cho
Brittany Peng

The above students auditioned in a virtual setting alongside students from Fairfax County, Arlington County, Alexandria City, Falls Church City, private and home schools. While all Senior Regional Orchestra events and concerts have been cancelled throughout the state of Virginia due to the current COVID-19 health crisis, the students listed above will have the chance to go on and audition for the All-Virginia State Orchestra! McLean High School is extremely proud of the hard work that all of the students who auditioned put in for this year's Senior Regional Orchestra audition process. In fact, McLean HS had more students accepted into the Northern Virginia Regional orchestra than any other school in the region for the second year in a row! GO HIGHLANDERS!

Congratulations to the following orchestra students for placing into this year’s Virginia All-State Orchestra!

Eshan Parkash (violin)
Maxence Mouries (violin)

Ella David (viola)
Elena Klenk (viola)

Steve Han (cello)
Justin Winn (cello)
​
Lucas Zurbuchen (bass)

Students auditioned amongst hundreds of highly skilled student musicians at James Madison University this past weekend and will perform in a special concert in April with students from around the state at the Dominion Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond, Virginia.

Congratulations to the following students who auditioned for and were accepted into the 2019-2020 Senior District 12 Honors Orchestra, which will take place on January 10 & 11th at Langley High School:

1st Violin:
Caleb Wang, 3rd chair
Alexander Bills
 
2nd Violin:
Emma Guo, 2nd chair
Michelle Kim
Sasha Gessler
 
Viola:
Daphnie Lu
 
Cello:
Jacob Daniels, 1st chair
Christina Wu
Alex Xu
Malcolm Rodgers
Benjamin Woods
 
Bass:
Christopher Raymond
J.T. Raymond