Felicia Ho of Warren, a senior and violinist at The Pingry School, has been named to the Violin I section of the 2019 NAFME (National Association for Music Education) All-Eastern Honors Orchestra, which will perform at The David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh on Sunday, April 7, 2019.
She is among nearly 800 high school students in the Eastern region of the United States who have participated in their home all-state orchestras and were selected for the NAFME All-Eastern Honors Ensembles, which consist of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed chorus, treble chorus, and jazz ensemble. The orchestra will have approximately 150 instrumentalists.
Felicia has been playing the piano since age four (becoming a repeat Prize Winner of the Piano Teachers Society of America Competition) and added violin in Grade 4 so she could join Pingry’s Lower School Orchestra. Her commitment to the instrument over the years resulted in her becoming concertmaster of Pingry’s Upper School Orchestra, and in that role she played the violin solo in an arrangement of the Chanukah song “Al Hanissim” during the Winter Festival Concert.
“Due to Felicia being a strong and dedicated player, it was an easy decision to have her be the concertmaster,” said adjunct Pingry string teacher Alyson Whelan. “She also is very kind and helpful toward myself and her peers in the orchestra.”
Throughout middle and high school, Felicia has played in the CJMEA (Central Jersey Music Educators Association) Region II and NJMEA (New Jersey Music Educators Association) All-State Orchestras. She is also Co-President of Horizon Music Volunteers (HMV), student musicians who perform monthly recitals for senior citizens to spread the joy of music.
Having now performed with HMV for six years, she was elected Co-President in her sophomore year. The other Co-President is Pingry sophomore Monica Chan, who was President of HMV in Grade 8 and sought Felicia to be the group’s high school representative. “She is really dedicated to what she does,” Monica said, “and the combination of her musical talent and her kind heart makes her a perfect match for the role.”
(above) Felicia Ho (right) at one of Pingry’s Winter Festival Concerts.
Photo by The Pingry School
