Waldorf School musicians win top honors

Music students from the Waldorf School of Orange County recently took top honors at a regional music festival.

The Costa Mesa campus’ 35-member string orchestra, made up of seventh- and eighth-graders, achieved a “unanimous superior” rating at the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Assn. festival at John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma on May 7.

The students played three pieces and were judged on technical aspects, such as intonation — the ability to play in tune — and articulation of notes. They were also judged on their overall balance as an ensemble and artistic interpretation of the selections, which included “Fantasia on Greensleeves” by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G minor.

Music director and conductor Debora Wondercheck noted that Waldorf was the only middle school orchestra invited to perform at the event.

“This is a real thrill for us,” Wondercheck said in a news release. “The students did a stellar job of incorporating input they received from judges when they competed at Garden Grove High School for the district festival in March. Our orchestra has competed at the regional festival in the past, but this is the first time we achieved a unanimous superior rating.”

—Bradley Zint

Twitter: @bradleyzint