This past weekend, ten of our Abington Senior High School Orchestra students performed in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Region VI Orchestra Festival held at Harriton High School. Under the direction of guest conductor Dr. Gerardo Edelstein, who currently serves as director of orchestral studies at Pennsylvania State University, this festival was the culmination of an arduous audition process that began in December 2025. Acceptance into this ensemble classifies these musicians as part of an elite group of musicians from the state of Pennsylvania and they are to be acknowledged and commended for their dedication in perfecting their craft. The students who performed in this ensemble are;

Alexander Hilliard – Grade 12 – Viola

David Klinger – Grade 12 – Oboe/English Horn

Adam Silverman – Grade 12 – String Bass

Benjamin Sonntag – Grade 12 – Cello

Jiahong Gao – Grade 11 – Violin

Brandon Hiriak – Grade 11 – French Horn

Jacob Hong – Grade 11 – Viola –

Rachel Lee – Grade 11 – Violin

William Michalski – Grade 11 – Violin

Kayla Thurston – Grade 11 – Flute

Of the students listed above, based on their re-audition scores at Regions, four students will be representing Abington Senior High School at the PMEA All State Orchestra Festival in April.

Adam Silverman – String Bass

Brandon Hiriak – French Horn

Jacob Hong – Viola

William Michalski – Violin

All of these students have put in a tremendous amount of time and effort in preparing the music for these festivals and as a music department we are extremely proud to acknowledge their accomplishment and representation in these state wide festivals.