50 state string orchestra project
EDWARD SCULLY + BATTLEFIELD HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRA
HAYMARKET, VIRGINIA
The Battlefield High School Orchestra Program began in 2004 when the school first opened under the direction of Ms. Katie Thiel and has established itself as one of the premiere orchestra programs in the state of Virginia under her guidance, that of Mr. Zachary Saunders, and for the last four years with Mr. Edward Scully. In this time the program has been invited multiple times and performed at Carnegie Hall as well as an appearance at the Virginia Music Educators Association’s annual conference. Other performance highlights include a collaborative effort with the Battlefield High School choir and the Fairfax High School orchestra and choir for a performance of Mozart’s Requiem at the Hylton Performing Arts Center and consistent “superior” ratings at annual district assessment performances. The Battlefield High School orchestras pride themselves on being a fundamental part of the local community and perform five major concerts a year with several smaller community outreach events in between.
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Ed Scully is currently in his fourth year as the orchestra director at Battlefield High School in Haymarket, VA. A graduate of Prince William County Public Schools himself, Mr. Scully returned to the school district after earning his bachelor’s degree in music education from Florida State University (2016) where he studied cello with Greg Sauer, and both a professional performance certificate and master’s degree in cello performance from Penn State University (2017 and 2019, respectively) under the instruction of Kim Cook. He has performed professionally as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral cellist throughout the east coast and is currently the principal cellist of the Manassas Symphony Orchestra. An avid collaborative musician, Mr. Scully fell in love with music for the opportunities it provides for building relationships and communication and found his way to teaching to pass that passion onto others.
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.