Seventh-grade student joins Youth Symphony program
Hot Springs Junior Academy seventh-grade student Gary Baldwin, son of Roger and Molly Baldwin, recently became a member of the Prelude Orchestra of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Youth Ensembles program.
Baldwin began learning the violin in the fifth grade and now attends daily classes in the high school with a multi-aged group, according to a news release from the Hot Springs/hot Springs Village Symphony Guild.
Every other Saturday, Baldwin travels to attend the Prelude Orchestra rehearsals and says he “loves the beautiful sound coming from this string group,” the release said.
The orchestra class at school is his “favorite time of the day,” and wants “music to be a very big part of his life,” Baldwin said in the release.
Baldwin credited his school orchestra teacher with encouraging him and informing him about the opportunity to try out for the Little Rock-based Arkansas Youth Symphony program.
According to a news release from the Hot Springs School District, Baldwin was one of four HSSD Orchestra students auditioned successfully to join the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Youth Ensembles for the 2021-22 school year.
The other Trojan musicians were Hannah Reagler, 10th grade, cello; Amerah Harris, ninth grade, viola; and Joseph Martinez, eighth grade, violin.
“The tuition for Hot Springs School District students’ participation is paid for by a generous donation from the Hot Springs/hot Springs Village Symphony Guild,” the release said.
“This articulate, intelligent boy looks to a bright future in whatever he chooses,” Jim Kelly, Symphony Guild vice president of education, said in the Guild news release about Baldwin.
The HS/HSV Symphony Guild assists Baldwin and other Garland County musicians who participate in the Youth Symphony program with fees and transportation through stipends.
The Guild welcomes new members at any time during the year. Annual membership is $20 per person and supports music education, with $10 of each membership going toward educational programs.
Additional Guild and membership information are available at https://www.symphonyguild.org.
“This articulate, intelligent boy looks to a bright future in whatever he chooses.”
— Jim Kelly, Symphony Guild vice president of education