The McKay High School Orchestra Program, based in Salem, Oregon, has over 150 members in 5 different groups performing standard orchestral repertoire as well as music from movies, shows, video games, and other genres. The Orchestra Program has recently had several top 5 finishes at the OSAA State Orchestra competition.
McKay High School is a Title 1 school and is 100% free lunch. McKay is one of the most diverse high schools in the state of Oregon featuring a vibrant Latine and Pacific Islander population. Many students earn scholarships to work with private instructors through fundraising efforts by the orchestra program as well as the Music Lessons Project, a local 501c3 with the goal of providing music lessons for all hardworking students unable to afford them.
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Alex Figueroa is currently in his 3rd year as the Orchestra Director at McKay High School. Previously, Alex attended The Ohio State University where he earned a Bachelor's of Music Education and was President of Ohio State's ASTA Chapter. Alex has worked with the Salem Youth Symphony as well as the Columbus Symphony Junior Strings, Chamber Strings, Cadet, and Youth Symphony programs as both a sectional coach and conductor. When Alex is not teaching or performing, he enjoys cooking, traveling, hiking, and skiing.
about
the 50 state
string orchestra project
2022-2024
The 50 State String Orchestra Project is a large-scale consortium commission that is bringing new music to classrooms and concert halls all over the US in the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 seasons, with educational and community orchestras in all 50 states commissioning a new piece for string orchestra, similar in difficulty level and scope to Stephanie’s 2011 work for string orchestra Beyond the Gate. Her consortium commissions for chamber music have already brought new string-centered music all across the world, from her 50 State Sonata Project for violin + piano, inspired by the work of her teacher John Kendall, and her World Sonata Project, which was commissioned by violinists from 35 countries in 2016.