50 state string orchestra project
JAMES GROSS + GROSSE POINTE HIGH SCHOOL
grosse pointe farms, michigan
Grosse Pointe South High School has a long tradition of excellence in music. The mission of the music department is to provide the students with the knowledge and skills to develop their innate music ability and maximum potential, to guide students to strive for excellence, and to nurture their lifelong appreciation for aesthetic experiences.
The Grosse Pointe South High School Concert Orchestra, a training ensemble comprising all freshmen and upperclassmen, performs regularly throughout the school year at concerts such as Pops & Pastries, String Extravaganza, MSBOA Orchestra Festival and our annual Spring Concert. The Concert Orchestra has consistently earned Division I & II ratings at MSBOA District XVI Orchestra Festival. Members of the Concert Orchestra participate in: MSBOA District XVI Solo & Ensemble Festival, area youth orchestras, and receive quarterly sectionals with members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
The Grosse Pointe South High School Symphony Orchestra is comprised of motivated and talented student musicians. The ensemble performs literature from the standard repertoire. For the past ten years, the Symphony Orchestra has earned Division I ratings at MSBOA District XVI and State Orchestra Festival. An audition-only ensemble, the Symphony Orchestra performs regularly throughout the school year at concerts such as Pops & Pastries, String Extravaganza, MSBOA Orchestra Festival, and our annual Spring Concert. Recent performances outside of school have included a 2015 concert at the Mozarteum Concert Hall in Salzburg, Austria and a 2013 performance at the Anaheim (CA) Heritage Festival of Music where the orchestra won "Best Overall". Other recent concerts have included performances at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, Riverside Church in NYC, and London's Royal Academy of Music. Members of the Symphony Orchestra also participate in our school's Chamber Orchestra, Pit Orchestra, Jazz Band, Marching Band, and participate in the school's Tri-M musical fraternity.
The most advanced students within the Symphony Orchestra will comprise the Chamber Orchestra, a group that will play the most advanced literature from the string orchestra repertoire. The Chamber Orchestra regularly performs at String Extravaganza, MSBOA District XVI Chamber Festival, MSBOA State Chamber Festival, Spring Concert, and occasional community performances.
CONCERT INFORMATION
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James Gross is in his twenty-third year teaching in the Grosse Pointe Public School System where he serves as Music Department Chair and is in his nineteenth year as Director of Orchestras at Grosse Pointe South High School. Mr. Gross has twice been the recipient of the MSBOA District XVI Orchestra Teacher of the Year. Mr. Gross serves on the conducting faculty of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and has served on the viola faculties of All- State at Interlochen, the American String Workshop at the University of Michigan, and the MASTA Junior High String Camp. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, Mr. Gross earned a double Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Viola Performance from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from Wayne State University. Mr. Gross resides in Grosse Pointe Park with his wife Carolyn and their three children: Eliana, Danny, and Nolan.
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.