(photo by Eric Green Photography, www.ericgreenphotography.com)

The 2008-2009 Chamber Orchestra

Oscar F. Smith High School is one of seven high schools in the City of Chesapeake and is located in the community of South Norfolk. Earning a reputation for excellence during the past nine years, the Oscar Smith High School Orchestras have grown from forty eight members to over one hundred members. The orchestras have earned top awards in music festivals in Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Florida,  New York and Indianapolis and have consistently earned superior ratings at the VBODA/VMEA District IV Orchestra Festival.

The OSHS Orchestra program consists of two performance ensembles, divided into three classes. The Concert Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra meet every other day in a modified block schedule for ninety minutes. The Chamber Orchestra is comprised of approximately thirty string players (grades 10-12) and is the premier string ensemble at Oscar Smith High School. Membership in the Chamber Orchestra is through audition. The Chamber Orchestra performs at least nine concerts per year, including the VBODA/VMEA District IV Orchestra Festival.

The Concert Orchestra, the largest ensemble, combines two separate classes comprised of freshmen and other developing string players. Students must audition and are required to have at least four years of orchestral experience. Basic fundamental skills are learned. The ensemble performs several concerts during the year, including the VBODA/VMEA District IV Orchestra Festival.

The Oscar Smith High School Strolling Strings is an extra-curricular ensemble that rehearses after school one evening a week and performs for school events, civic organizations and other special events throughout the Hampton Roads area. The ensemble serves as musical ambassadors of Oscar Smith High School and the City of Chesapeake and is in demand throughout the area.

The Oscar F. Smith High School Chamber Orchestra earned a standing ovation for its outstanding performance as the final orchestra performance of the 2005 Virginia Music Educators In-Service Conference.  They most recently performed in New York City's Carnegie Hall by invitation as part of the 2007 National Band & Orchestra Festival and as an invited ensemble at the 2008 Music for All  National 'Orchestra America' Festival in Indianapolis.