William Selle: Violinist, ACO, Watauga High School, and Hardin Park conductor
The Appalachian Community Orchestra, hosted through Appalachian State’s Hayes School of Music, is up and running and looking for new members. Open to anyone with 2 years of instrumental musical experience, the community orchestra is a great place to expand on musical skills.
ACO (Appalachian Community Orchestra) is in its first year of practice. Started by William Selle and Taryn Wooten, instructors at Watauga High school, ACO serves as a place for musicians to grow and have fun. Hosted every Thursday at 6:30 pm in the Broyhill Music Center, musicians from all ages and backgrounds are welcomed to join.
“This is the first year that we’ve had a specific community orchestra for Boone,” said ACO instructor William Selle. “We call it the community orchestra to include everybody in the community.”
Started in 2021, William Selle and Taryn Wooten wanted to provide a space where musicians of the community could come together and play music from all genres. Current ACO members hail from different ages and backgrounds, from professors at Appalachian State to high school students.
“Anybody can join that has instrumental musical experience,” Selle said. “If you have enough skills that you want to play in an ensemble, you’re welcome to join.”
Instruments from violins to trumpets make up the orchestra, providing a rich and diverse sound. The orchestra is currently dissecting pieces like Gustav Holst’s “Jupiter-Bringer of Jollity” and
Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture Op. 84”.
“We are studying mostly classical music that’s written for symphonies and large ensembles,” Selle said. “We’ll branch out and do different styles [of music] and genres as the group grows.”
Sitting at around 20 registered members, the ACO is hoping to grow its membership as it continues to expand.
“I would always love to have more members,” Selle said. “We have around 20 members right now, hopefully, next semester we can grow by threefold.”
To find more information about the Appalachian Community Orchestra, you can visit https://music.appstate.edu/about/community-music-school/programs/boone/ensembles/appalachian-community-orchestra.
“Our goals are to grow musically, to provide a fun and accessible place for musicians to play together in Boone, and to share our musical accomplishments with the community,” Selle said. “We’re going to create a performance in late November or early December to perform for anyone who wants to listen to us, either live or a streaming event.”
The orchestra is looking for members!
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