By Jules Young, Arts and Entertainment Editor
On Thursday, Oct. 9th, Sunderman Conservatory hosted roughly 100 high school students for String Day, an orchestra workshop and performance for high school students in the area. Organized by Dr. César Leal, Director of Orchestral Activities, this event was a full 12-hour day opportunity for high school musicians in the surrounding area to work directly with college students and faculty. Notably, this event was both free and open without audition to any high school student who wished to participate.
This event was the second of the conservatory’s annual String Days, though Dr. Leal has been involved in similar events as a conductor at other schools. He wanted to bring a large-scale event like this to Gettysburg because he feels that “it’s time for the conservatory to strengthen its musical presence in the surrounding area.”
Last year, the conservatory hosted about 80 string students, garnering much enthusiasm surrounding the event. Last year’s success led to an “unprecedented growth of 40% more students” wanting to be involved. Dr. Leal also expanded the program to include percussion players as well as strings.
The high school students were treated to a packed schedule that included watching faculty members perform, meals at Servo and Mama Ventura, workshops with college students on their specific instruments, and a substantial concert to end the day. Dr. Leal was particularly enthusiastic about their performance of a world premiere piece: Danzas Latinoamericanas by José L. Elizondo, which featured a Soprano vocal solo from Dr. Susan Hochmiller, Coordinator of the Voice Area. Alongside this premiere, the concert featured a wide array of pieces spanning across time and cultures.
With such a large number of students in attendance, Dr. Leal emphasized how much of an “ambitious project” this String Day would be, and how it “involved lots of students and lots of hands.” Students from all factions of the conservatory were involved in the event. The Music Ambassadors—music students who work with admissions as a direct link to prospective music students visiting for auditions and open houses—directed students to lunch and dinner and shed light on the Conservatory’s admission process. NAFME, the student music education board, was heavily involved, and Lana Dyer, the NAFME president elect, was the official student organizer for the event. The student orchestra staff worked with Dr. Leal to purchase, print, and distribute all of the music for the high school students.
Student involvement was particularly important for String Day because of the special opportunity to act as a short term mentor for these high school students. With a sizable portion of conservatory students majoring in music education, this was a golden opportunity for them to get an extra bit of experience in their prospective field.
As both the creator and organizer of String Day, Dr. Leal had this to say about his ultimate goal: “We see this event as ultimately turning into a youth orchestra—the first in the area that can cater to these students, as Gettysburg has the ability to serve as a music hub for the nearby area.” Given the respective successes of the two String Days so far, and the fact that the event is only growing each year, there is certainly hope for Dr. Leal’s goal of starting a local youth orchestra. If String Day can expand just beyond the singular day, high school level orchestra students will be able to receive pivotal experience that is much needed to hone their skills, and potentially jumpstart their musical careers.
This article originally appeared on page 19 of the November 2025 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
