Ethan Hemmings and Charlotte Greenwood are not just any normal juniors at Wakefield High school, they are two of the first students to be accepted in the Senior Regional Orchestra. Being accepted into this prestigious orchestra is very uncommon and for two of our own Wakefield Warriors to be accepted is a memorable milestone.

Senior Regional Orchestra is comprised of all North Central Virginia High Schools and the audition process is a long one. They pick a select few out of over 100 candidates. If you receive the honor of being accepted you get to play in a show. It is the most competitive Regional Orchestras in the state. Hemmings was accepted for the violin and Greenwood was accepted for the piccolo.

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be accepted into this respected orchestra. When asked how they feel Hemmings said, “it feels pretty good; it was 4 months of work to put into it and it’s very competitive cause your going against 139 other people that have been playing just as well or even longer than you have.” Greenwood said, “I’m pretty proud of myself, it feels good cause all the hard work is finally paid off and getting recognition for it is nice.”

When balancing life between academics, music, and also a social life outside of school, things can get stressful. As Hemmings said, “balancing life between music and friends and school, it’s just a lot.” Hemmings is a member of Cohort along with recently being accepted into a National conference for Minority leaders. So besides music, he has a lot going on in his life. When asked what he likes to do outside of school, Hemmings said, “I like running and I love reading books.” Greenwood is a member of the Wakefield band and because of that she dedicates lots of her time to hyping up the crowd at every football game, along with performing at half-time. Besides band, Greenwood said “I also play softball.”

Being accepted into the Senior Orchestra requires a huge time commitment and an insane amount of talent. Ethan Hemmings has been playing for 7 years. Charlotte Greenwood has been playing since 5th grade. Hemmings said, “I feel like orchestra has given me a good leadership opportunity because it allows me to place my creative ideas in a constructive environment that’s outside of school.” Greenwood simply has a love for playing, “I really enjoy it, I think it’s  fun, I’m passionate about it” she said.

Go support these two Wakefield Warriors on November 10th at Fairfax High School. It is a huge accomplishment for the both of them and we wish them luck on their upcoming show. Congratulations Warriors!