DHS-Holmes Orchestra Boosters
Fall 2024 Newsletter
Students, Parents, Community Members, DHS Alumni, and Supporters:
Welcome back to another exciting school year!
I am very pleased to be the Orchestra Director at Davis Senior High and Holmes Junior High Schools, where this year I will complete 25 years building and expanding these two amazing programs! I received my master’s degree in orchestra conducting at UCD where I also did my undergraduate work in music. I am a violinist with extensive performance and private violin teaching experience in which I am both very active. In addition to being the Orchestra Director at Holmes Junior High and Davis Senior High School Orchestra Director, I am in my 23rd year as the Director of the Sacramento Youth Symphony Academic Orchestra. I am excited to be a part of the music education of over 300 students each year, and I look forward to a great year of music making together.
Our Davis community is incredibly proud of the DJSUD Music Program, which has a long tradition of musical excellence and for many decades has supported 1000s of students. The standards of the DHS and Holmes Orchestra Programs reflect the high expectations I have for each of my students and for myself as their director.
Please remember throughout the year that parents, community members, and alumni are an important part of our programs’ success. Without your support, the standard of excellence enjoyed by these two incredible orchestra programs could not be achieved. The students and I will work hard throughout the year to represent the DJUSD Music Program in a positive manner. I hope you will plan to support the efforts of each performance group by encouraging musical progress at home and/or attendance at concerts, festivals, and other orchestra events. Young people at this age need a lot of support in order to be successful in all of their activities. Your involvement is always welcome and appreciated by the students and I, please do not hesitate to ask how you can get involved and volunteer.
Looking forward to another excellent school year,
Angelo Moreno
Davis Senior High School Orchestra Director
Holmes Junior High School Orchestra Director
Greetings Families, Alumni, & Supporters!
After three years of leading the Boosters as president, Tracy Louie leaves enormous shoes to fill but I am excited to take on the duties. I joined the Boosters last winter and am in my fourth consecutive year as a DHS Baroque parent. The DHS-Holmes Orchestra has a great year ahead with lots of concerts and field trips and the Boosters have been working hard to support Mr. Moreno in his endeavors.
We have an excellent Board this year: Aparna Krishnan, Treasurer, brings several years of Booster financial expertise; Kate Rich, Secretary, is in her third year and does all the amazing website and outreach media; and lastly, we welcome Sheetal Singh to the Board as an additional treasurer. We had to say goodbye to three vital people from our Board last year, so please consider joining us! We welcome you to drop in on one of our monthly meetings, or to discuss the various roles and other volunteer opportunities. It’s such a great way to give back to the community and support our talented musicians.
A huge thank you to all of the families who have already donated and have signed up to help the Boosters! We are so fortunate that our kids are in a community that values music education -- whether it's financial, volunteer time or supporting students in their musical pursuits. We truly appreciate your generosity and commitment.
Please reach out if you have questions!
Maggie Gonzalez
DHS-Holmes Boosters President
president@dhs-holmes-orchestras.org
We all thank our DHS-Holmes Orchestra Program student and parent volunteers who formed the 2024 Instrument Maintenance Crew!
We also thank our luthier Pete Van Alstyne (https://www.petesmusiccenter.com/) for teaching and guiding us all through the finer points of string instrument maintenance and providing all the materials necessary for us to complete our work. Because of the dedication and commitment of these students and parents all of our orchestra students will have clean instruments with brand new strings and newly haired bows to play in class each day!
Many thanks to the following members of the repair crew:
Alton Zhong, Andrew Gonzalez, Aylin Alassaad, Benjamin Hartman, Candace Li, Chloe Jaffe, Dante Baldini, Esme Vogt, Eva Paterson, Eva Wilson, Haoching Liu, Harel Ho, Hazel Inceoglu, Helen Xia, Houman Shahmohammadi, Iván Rocha-Figueroa, Jacob Hall, Jazmin Garcia, Joe McNicholas, Joonyoung Jung, Joseph Gonzalez, Joyce Tamanaha-Ho, Kanako Hayashi, Karis Wright, Kohki Kurita, Kurt Inceoglu, Kyle Inceoglu, Leo McNicholas, Lily Krivanek, Noah Klein, Oliver Rich, Orion Carlisle, Peter Du, Sarah Zhu, Shane Barzo, Sophia Tan, Tamara Ho, Winston Spiller, Zixuan Haley He, Zoë Chan, and any others we missed!
Three Holmes music students, Violinist Henry Rosendale, Cellist Karis Wright, and Vocalist Emma Nason, had awesome experiences at the Mark Wood Rock Orchestra Camp this summer in Olathe, Kansas.
See if you can spot them in this video about the camp! And take a look back at photos from when Mark Wood & Laura Kaye visited Davis last year.
From Henry:
"The thing I loved most about this camp was its atmosphere. How vibrant! The absolute joyous nature of the people who participated, and how everyone grew and changed in a small but significant amount of time. I recommend this camp to anyone who loves any kind of music, classical to heavy metal."
From Karis:
"The thing I liked most about camp was having the opportunity to play with and learn from some of the most incredible musicians in the world. I loved talking to and listening to people who were attending the camp or were part of the staff. It was so amazing to meet and perform with young musicians from across the country and I made so many great connections! It wasn't just an amazing experience socially, but also musically. I learned a lot about ensembles, rock music, and even classical music while there. My playing improved immensely over the week I was there and I learned skills that I can use for playing cello in my orchestra!"
From Emma:
"I would 1000% recommend this camp, it was life changing. I learned how to belt and control my voice."
The 2024-25 DHS Baroque Ensemble enjoyed a three day workshop to hone their skills on period instruments. "The Art of Baroque Bowing," lead by Michael Sand and Phebe Craig, was an incredible learning experience for our new and returning Baroque members. The Boosters is proud to support this workshop and these dedicated high school student-musicians! The Ensemble's first public performance will be in the Sacramento Capitol Rotunda on December 5 (photo here is from the 2023 Routunda event).
Sponsorships are available for the following events (please email Boosters to indicate interest in sponsorship opportunities and partnerships):
2025 DHS Symphony Outreach Concerts: Free performances for over 1000 local elementary students!
2025 Wennberg Orchestra Festival: Beautiful day of DJUSD orchestral talent at the Mondavi Center
2025 Orchestra Disneyland Trip: DHS Orchestras are heading to Disneyland this Spring! Click HERE to learn more.
The DHS Strings Tutoring Program is a student-led mentoring program within the DHS Orchestra Program with the mission to motivate elementary, junior high, and high school string students to enjoy playing and practicing their instrument, by assisting in the growth of the student’s ability as well as that of the whole orchestra program. Learn more about the program and apply to be a tutor or student HERE.
Piano Tutors Needed! The DHS Piano Tutoring Program is a student-led program within the DHS music program providing elementary and middle school students with affordable piano lessons as a supplement to their music education and development. Tutors are high-school students with years of experience through solo practice and DJUSD music ensembles.
Lessons are one hour long, held in-person at the tutor’s home, and tutors are paid $25 per lesson. Alternatively, tutors can gain community service hours in lieu of payment.
Tutoring serves as a wonderful way to improve your teaching and communication skills, earn income, and provide younger students with quality lessons that remain valuable all throughout their musical journey. Click HERE for more information on becoming a DHS piano tutor.