The Charles City Orchestra Program has been a longstanding part of the middle and high school curriculum. Currently, the program serves students starting in the summer before fifth grade, and culminates as students graduate from the high school in twelfth grade. At the high school, students are in one orchestra from grades 9-12. Students play in four concerts throughout the year, participate in the Iowa High School Music Association (IHSMA) Large Group Contest, and work with the band to perform at the graduation commencement ceremony every year. The program collaborates often with the high school choir and band departments, and often shares students with the other departments. Students in the program have opportunities to play bass with the jazz band, participate in honors orchestras, participate in IHSMA’s All-State and Solo/Small Ensemble Festivals, and be a member of the Charles City Wire Choir, a before-school small string ensemble of the best of the CCHS program.
Past awards of the orchestra and its members include many members receiving Division I ratings at Solo/Small Ensemble, participants in the All-State Festival, and Division I ratings as a whole orchestra in the Large Group Contest as both a string orchestra and full symphony orchestra. While most schools either have the backing of a large district or a collegiate program in the same town, Charles City’s thriving program does not have these supports, yet provides a top notch program for its students to be a part of. Notable previous directors include Nancy Western (1997-2017) and Gene Martin (1960’s-1995).
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A native of Dubuque, IA, Sam Naumann grew up in a busy household with his 2 parents and 3 younger brothers. All four boys started playing violin at age five. Naumann switched to cello at the age of 6 and never looked back. Growing up, Naumann took private cello lessons from local teachers, participated in honors orchestras and youth symphonies on cello, and taught cello lessons to younger students. Most notably, he was a 3-year participant playing cello in Iowa’s All State Music Festival from 2011-2013.
Naumann graduated from Luther College in Decorah, IA in 2019 with a BA in Music. He emphasized his music major in both performance (cello) and education (orchestra). Cello teachers included Cole Tutino, Ismar Gomes, and Philip Borter. Conducting teachers included Spencer Martin, Joan DeAlbequerque, and Andrew Last. Education teachers include Jill Wilson, Tony Guzman, and Linda Martin. While at Luther, Naumman participated in two different orchestras, Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. He also sang in a choir, played in other student recitals, and put on two cello recitals of his own. Naumann was also a finalist in the Luther College Concerto Competition in 2018 on cello.
Naumann has been director of orchestras at Charles City Schools since August 2020. At school, he can be seen directing four different large group rehearsals across 8 different grade levels, giving small group and individual lessons to those in the program, and preparing and directing concerts for the public with the school ensembles. Naumann also resides in Charles City where he attends school sporting events and other performing arts events. When he’s not at school, he can be found on the golf course, playing video games with friends, cheering on the Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Cardinals, or visiting family in Dubuque or elsewhere.
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.