Two CMS students perform at orchestra festival

Two Carbondale Middle School students successfully auditioned for spots in the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) District 6 Junior Orchestra Festival.

Sixth-grader Alex Kadyrov plays cello, and seventh-grader Grace Rhee plays violin. Both are students of District 95 music teacher Angela Grimmer.

The two performed at the organization's Nov. 14 festival, which will be virtual this year because of COVID-19. This event is one of the foundations of ILMEA student programs, Executive Director Darcy A. Nendza says on the organization's website. Typically, Nendza said, on Saturdays in November, more than 10,000 student musicians gather to take part in the ILMEA District Festivals.

Typically, Grimmer said about one of her students each year is selected to participate in this orchestra. Last year, she had no participants, and this year the two.

The District 6 area covers all of southern Illinois, including the Metro East area.

"It is a huge honor for these students to be accepted into the district orchestra," Grimmer said. "I just gave them the opportunity: They put in all of the hard work to achieve this goal. I am proud to have students who are willing to put in extra work that is above and beyond what is required in the regular classroom."