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On April 9, 2022, three musicians from Arcadia High School’s Symphony Orchestra performed with the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) All Southern Honor Orchestra. William An (cello), Sala Yu (viola), and Ashley Loh (viola) all went through a rigorous audition process with many practices and recordings in order to get accepted into the program.
The All Southern Honor Orchestra features select musicians chosen from more than 1000 schools in the Southern California region. Getting accepted into this orchestra is an immense accomplishment, and we are so proud of our three musicians. They went through two long and meticulous rehearsals, for almost nine hours each, before their big performance.
Ashley Loh commented on her interactions with the other orchestra members. She said she was “introduced to this new environment of orchestra kids who are so dedicated, hardworking, and mature.” Getting to know about their lives outside of viola was another cool part of getting to play with so many talented musicians.
William An felt grateful to meet new people who had a similar passion for music. He said, “I like the challenge posed to me when I work with new people and expectations.”
Sala Yu had a similar experience to Ashley and William’s and got to know each of her section members well during their short time together.
William had much to say about how orchestra at school impacted him as an individual in SCSBOA. Orchestra has helped him find many music-related opportunities, much like this one. He said, “Our orchestra, especially many of the students, are very well connected to other institutions which gives other students the opportunity to apply and learn about these institutions.” All three musicians also mentioned that applying to an orchestra like SCSBOA from Arcadia’s Symphony Orchestra allowed them to play music at a higher level, pushing them to become better musicians overall.
Congratulations to William, Sala, and Ashley; we cannot wait to see what you achieve in the future!