The Homestead and Shorewood High School Chamber Orchestras from Mequon and Shorewood, respectively, will open MidAmerica Production's 35th annual Carnegie Hall concert season on Sunday, February 18 in New York.
They will perform Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and movements from Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48.
The Mequon-Thiensville School District and the School District of Shorewood are ranked among the top in the state. Most orchestra students are enrolled in AP and Honors-level courses.
The combined 74-person orchestra last performed together at Carnegie Hall in 2014.
John Emanuelson, the Director of Orchestras at Homestead High School, and Karen Fink, Director of Orchestras at Shorewood High School, have collaborated as colleagues for the past 20 years. They are also married and reside in Shorewood with their two sons.
Emanuelson recognizes the importance of support from the community.
“Our students are most appreciative of the staunch support for school music demonstrated by our districts’ leadership,” he said, specifically referring to The Mequon-Thiensville Orchestra Parents, Inc., The Shorewood Orchestra Boosters, Inc., and the citizens of Shorewood, Mequon and Thiensville.
