Orchestras

Orchestra I  (Entry Level, Recommended for all Freshmen)
Year-Long Course • Grades 9-10-11-12
Fulfills HS Visual/Perf. Arts or General Elective

This course is open to all interested string students who play the Violin, Viola, Cello or Bass. This class is designed to develop proficiency for orchestral musicians. The class will study intermediate concert literature for string orchestra and full orchestra. After-school and/or weekend rehearsals and performances are sometimes required.

The Agoura High Orchestra I class meets during the same period as our advanced Orchestra II course.  This arrangement allows for students in Orchestra I to sometimes be combined with intermediate and advanced members of Orchestra II.  Orchestra I members are welcome to partake in any music handed out to the Orchestra II class via a chair placement audition at the beginning of the year or through a playing test.

Orchestra II  (Advanced)
Prerequisite: Audition
Year-Long Course • Grades 9-10-11-12
Fulfills HS Visual/Perf. Arts or General Elective

This course is open to select string students and guitar/keyboard instrumentalists by audition. Students must prepare a concerto on their respective instruments for the audition. The class is designed to develop proficiency for advanced orchestral musicians. The class will study intermediate to advanced concert literature for string ensemble and full orchestra. After-school performances are mandatory.

The most advanced students in this course are selected to also partake in our Chamber Orchestra group.  Chamber Orchestra will occasionally rehearse during the Orchestra II period and sometimes during support period.

Through the support of the AHS Music Boosters & Participation in national music festivals, below is a short sample list of clinicians that our groups have had the opportunity to work with:

• Marcelo Lehninger, Conductor of the New West Symphony in 2016
• Moonjun Allison, Violin/Violist & member of the New West Symphony, 2018

• Dr. Greg Fried, Violinist & director of Orchestras at LIndero Canyon Middle School, 2017
• Keum Hwa Cha, Violinist & Pepperdine School of Music Faculty Member, 2018
• Eric Lamm, Bass, Graduate of Agoura High & Juilliard, 2013, 2015, 2017
• Todd Philips, Violinst & Manhattan School of Music Faculty Member, 2017
• Julia Lichten, Cello & Manhattan School of Music Faculty Member, 2017

Awards & Acheivements, Tours:

NYC Tour, 2017

1st place & Grand Champions at The Big Apple Classic Festival, NYC, 2017

San Francisco Tour, 2015

Boston Tour, 2013

Winner of the Jerry Herman Awards “Best Pit Orchestra” for Phantom of the Opera, 2012

The Agoura High Symphony Orchestra 2019-2020

Traditionally, the AHS Symphony Orchestra has been a small spring project that rehearses during class time for 2-3 weeks out of the year in April/May.  The video above is last year’s ensemble performing The Finale to Dvorak’s New World Symphony.

In the 2019-2020 school year, The AHS Symphony Orchestra will rehearse on a regular basis for the full year through the utilization of support period and one after school rehearsal per week from 3:15pm-5:00pm.  Musicians in this project will be enrolled in either Orchestra I, Orchestra II, a Jazz Ensemble (Bassists) or Wind Honors.