The C.H.S. Orchestra Quartets have won the title of “Best Ceremony Musicians” for the third year in a row, in the annual “Best of Cville.” Under the direction of Ms. Laura Thomas, the Charlottesville High School Orchestra has become very highly acclaimed and held at a level higher than your typical high school orchestra. The more advanced group, the String Ensemble, which is composed of sophomores, juniors, and seniors, is able to form quartets and quintets amongst themselves. Just how do these high school groups beat professional musicians in Charlottesville?

    “I provide CHSO string quartets with music, general advice, and musical guidance if asked.  Beyond that, quartets are student-directed,” says Ms. Thomas, “Most of the students who choose to play in quartets are solid musicians and experienced collaborators.”

    However, it’s not as simple as making a group and automatically being asked to play at weddings. A group must practice the repertoire provided by Ms. Thomas and do an audition of some sort for the award-winning director.

     “I like to hear each new ensemble play two contrasting pieces well before they are added to the list of available groups,” says Ms. Thomas, “If there are issues … I will coach the group and ask them to re-audition.”

    Even though the title goes to all C.H.S.O. quartets, the most popular and most booked group is usually the oldest and most experienced group. This year, the Meadowbrook Quartet is comprised of current seniors Talia Marshall, their manager and cellist, Margaret Lather, their first violinist, Sophia Rubin, their second violinist, and Joe von Storch, their violist.

    “Honestly it’s a great job because you make a lot of money. That’s one of the big incentives for everybody to be in it,” says. Talia Marshall, “It’s a great way to get to know other people I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten to know who play other instruments.”

    What makes these groups stand out from a professional quartet? There’s something so alluring about hiring high schoolers and getting a performance of the same quality of an experienced adult-musician.

    “Like a professional quartet, we all have behaved super professionally. But we are high schoolers so we’re affordable,” says Marshall, “[People at gigs] are like ‘oh look at those little kids, they’re so good, they’re so cute, I want them for my event.’”

    These quartets and their gigs aren’t only beneficial to those getting the prodigious performance or to the wallets of our C.H.S.O. musicians, it teaches lessons beyond music and beyond the Orchestra classroom.

    “It’s definitely helped me to become more of a leader,” says Marshall, “Especially because I’m the manager of my quartet I’ve learned a lot of business skills like this is how to write a contract …  here’s how to communicate with people…”

    Charlottesville’s “Best of Cville” is a pretty prestigious list to make, and our very own classmates have done it for the third year in a row and will hopefully keep the streak going for years to come.