Chester County schools featured in All Catholic Orchestra’s annual concert

Sixty-four students representing Archdiocesan Secondary Schools and private Catholic High Schools throughout the five-county region have been selected to participate in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s 2024 All Catholic Orchestra and to perform in the annual concert.

This year’s All Catholic Orchestra is under the direction of guest conductor, Professor Jiannan Cheng, the Director of Orchestras at the College of Performing Arts at Rowan University. Katherine Chmelko, the Director of Performing Arts and Choral Director at Nazareth

Academy High School and David Zagorski, the Instrumental Director at Nazareth Academy High School, will serve as the Festival Coordinators.

Students from Archdiocesan Secondary Schools including Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor (Delaware County); Archbishop Ryan High School in Northeast Philadelphia; Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster (Bucks County); Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown (Chester County); Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield (Delaware County); Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills (Bucks County); Lansdale Catholic High School in Lansdale (Montgomery County); Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford (Montgomery County); and Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls in the Tacony section of Philadelphia will participate.

Students from private Catholic High Schools including Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School in Lower Gwynedd (Montgomery County); Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem (Bucks County); Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Flourtown (Montgomery County); Nazareth Academy High School in Northeast Philadelphia; Sacred Heart

Academy in Bryn Mawr (Montgomery County); Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School in North Philadelphia; The Academy of Notre Dame de Namur in Villanova (Delaware County); Villa Joseph Marie High School in Holland (Bucks County); and Villa Maria Academy High School in Malvern (Chester County) will also participate.

The students will perform pieces selected from The Abduction from the Seraglio by Mozart arranged by Richard Meyer; Symphony No. 7 (second movement) by Beethoven arranged by Richard Meyer; The Beautiful Galatea by Suppé arranged by Victor López; Theme from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky arranged by Chris. M. Bernotas; In the Fading Light of Autumn by Ralph Ford; Symphony No. 5 (finale) by Tchaikovsky arranged by Richard Meyer; Theme from New York, New York by John Kandor and Fred Ebb arranged by Bob Cerulli.

Four Year Awards will be presented to Daria Heletkanycz, Nazareth Academy High School in Northeast Philadelphia; Gabriella Breault, Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor (Delaware County); Madeline Sarachman, Villa Joseph Marie High School in Southampton (Bucks County); Maxfield Kline, Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School in North Philadelphia; and Ruthanne Lally, Villa Maria Academy High School in Malvern (Chester County). In addition, Grace Palermo, Nazareth Academy High School in Northeast Philadelphia, will be recognized for her participation in the All Catholic Concert Band.