Community News

Strings camp culminates with free concert on Thursday

By Lightning Reports, Published: August 5, 2019

Organized and conducted by orchestra teachers from county schools, the Henderson County Summer Strings Camp culminates in a free concert open to the public at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, at Rugby Middle School.

Four orchestras and two fiddle groups will perform. All are welcome to attend.

The Summer Strings Camp has existed in one form or another for over 30 years, and with 100 students ranging in age from rising 5th through 12th grade, this year's camp is one of the largest yet! While hosted in Henderson County, the Summer Strings camp is open to all music students in the area, regardless of what county they live in or school they attend.

Experienced students are placed in various orchestras depending on their skill level, and spend several hours with their main orchestra and move around to different electives including fiddle, musical games, rhythm jeopardy, and a special guest artist performance every day.

"For the past four summers, we have offered a beginner camp and started students from scratch with literally no music or instrument experience," said Amanda Tant, orchestra and chorus director at Hendersonville Middle and Hendersonville High.

The camp has four orchestras this summer, named for geographical locations in the area:
• Green River Gorge Orchestra is comprised of rising 6th grade students beginning their instrument for the very first time, taught by Tant.
• Pisgah Orchestra features rising 7th grade students with one year of orchestra experience, and is conducted by Andrea Dennis, orchestra teacher from Rugby Middle.
• Dupont Orchestra features rising 8th grade students with at least two years of orchestra experience, and is conducted by Jennie Quinn, orchestra teacher at Flat Rock Middle and East Henderson High.
• Balsam Orchestra features our high school students, conducted by Amy Turlington. Turlington will begin her first year of teaching at Apple Valley Middle and North Henderson High in August.

Tiffany King, orchestra teacher at West Henderson, serves as this year's camp director, after having spent the majority of her summer organizing and scheduling the camp's logistics. This year, several former HCPS orchestra students now in college have returned to serve as counselors and teaching assistants at the camp.