Two Ravenscroft strings students, Rainy Ye ’27 and Cashier Brooks ’26, were selected to participate in this year’s North Carolina All-State Honors Orchestra, which took place Nov. 8-10 in Winston-Salem. 

The weekend intensive and performance serve as the culminating event for the Orchestra Section of the North Carolina Music Educators Association. Held each November at the UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NCHO is a featured component of the NC Music Educators Convention and brings together top high school musicians from both the eastern and the western parts of the state. 

“Rainy and Cashier were selected to participate based on their preliminary auditions in January and subsequent seating auditions at the Eastern Regional Orchestra Clinic held at East Carolina University in Greenville in February,” Ravenscroft’s Director of Strings Pamela Kelly explained. “The concert took place at the Richard J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium and was conducted by one of the most sought-after clinicians and music educators in the country, Victoria Gau.”

“I loved the Honors All-State Orchestra so much. We had a three-day convention and spent so much time bonding with musicians from other walks of life,” Rainy, a violinist, said of the experience. “The pieces we played were wide in variety, from classical music to modern music. They all brought us closer as musicians and as people.”

“As always, the North Carolina Honors Orchestra in Winston-Salem was a transformative experience that surpassed any other orchestral extracurricular experience I’ve done before,” Cashier, who plays cello, said. “By blending traditional works from the likes of Dimitri Shostakovich and Lili Boulanger and a contemporary masterpiece by Tan Dun, we explored all worlds of symphonic music and the true spirit of music, showcased through top-class talent across the state. Can’t wait for next year!”