VBHS orchestra places in top 3 in national competition

Vero Beach, FL, March 15, 2019 – Our district is proud to announce that our Vero Beach High School (VBHS) Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Matthew Stott, placed second runner-up in the 2019 National School Orchestra Championships "The National Orchestra Cup" in Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Thirty-eight members of the VBHS Philharmonic Orchestra performed Mozart Adagio and Fugue, Barber Adagio for Strings, and Bartok Rumanian Folk Dances, competing against nine other schools from California, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, and Indiana.

VBHS Orchestra Director, Matthew Stott, stated, “The students worked very hard on their journey to get to New York, and I was already very proud of their efforts. I was so glad that the journey culminated in an excellent performance on stage at the Lincoln Center.”

While the students were in New York City for the competition, they also attended a concert at Carnegie Hall by the Philadelphia Orchestra, saw The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theater, toured the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and visited the top of the Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street, and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Shawn O’Keefe, VBHS Principal, added, “Having attended the trip and watching the competition, our students were technically superb. They also portrayed the emotion in each piece to their audience and judges. The rendition of the song “Adagio for Strings” hardly left a dry eye in the Lincoln Center and received a standing ovation. I am so proud of this group of talented musicians, and we are so fortunate to have them here at VBHS under the direction of our nationally and internationally respected Director, Matt Stott.”

Some of the most recent accomplishments for the VBHS Philharmonic Orchestra are straight superior ratings at the District Music Performance Assessment, performing in a joint concert with the University of Central Florida Symphony Orchestra, and performing with international chamber musicians.