Thanks to Madison Middle School music director Clark Bathum for the photo and report:

On February 13th, Lily Bertucci, 8th grader violinist at Madison Middle School, performed with the 2016 Junior All-State Orchestra in Yakima, at the Washington Music Educators Association annual convention. She was one of 48 violinists from Washington state middle schools who were selected to perform in this concert for music educators from around the state. The ensemble performed Capriol Suite, Battalia, Directions North, and Moondance under the guidance of conductor Charles Schooler, director of the South Puget Sound College Orchestra.

Lily had this to say about her experience playing with the all-state orchestra: “All-State was a great experience, even though I was initially nervous about auditioning. The music was challenging, but I’m happy that I learned new playing skills. One of the best parts was playing with an ensemble of highly gifted musicians that could prepare for a concert after just a few hours of rehearsal. And, I learned about the group dynamics and essentials needed to put the music together for a concert.“

Lily is the fourth Madison musician to be selected to all-state in the past five years. The Madison Middle School community could not be prouder of Lily’s accomplishment and the way that she represented Madison at the state level.