Williamstown String Program arranges return performance
Williamstown High/Middle School String members Ella McMullen, left, Alex Tawney and Payton Woodard rehearse Monday for the program’s “Ireland to Appalachia” performance at 7 p.m. Thursday inside Williamstown High/Middle School Gymnasium. (Photo by Tyler Bennett)
Williamstown High/Middle School teacher Ashley Clark readies her class for rehearsal on Monday for the school’s String program “Ireland to Appalachia” performance Thursday. (Photo by Tyler Bennett)
Williamstown High/Middle School String member Josh Cramlet rehearses Monday for the program’s “Ireland to Appalachia” performance Thursday. (Photo by Tyler Bennett)
Williamstown High/Middle School String members Kamryn Haynes, left, Jacob Huggins and Maybree Rinard rehearse Monday for the program’s “Ireland to Appalachia” performance Thursday. (Photo by Tyler Bennett)
Williamstown High/Middle School String members Ella McMullen, left, Alex Tawney and Payton Woodard rehearse Monday for the program’s “Ireland to Appalachia” performance at 7 p.m. Thursday inside Williamstown High/Middle School Gymnasium. (Photo by Tyler Bennett)
Williamstown High/Middle School teacher Ashley Clark readies her class for rehearsal on Monday for the school’s String program “Ireland to Appalachia” performance Thursday. (Photo by Tyler Bennett)
Williamstown High/Middle School String member Josh Cramlet rehearses Monday for the program’s “Ireland to Appalachia” performance Thursday. (Photo by Tyler Bennett)
Williamstown High/Middle School String members Kamryn Haynes, left, Jacob Huggins and Maybree Rinard rehearse Monday for the program’s “Ireland to Appalachia” performance Thursday. (Photo by Tyler Bennett)
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WILLIAMSTOWN -- The Williamstown String Program will host its Spring Concert on Thursday at 7 p.m. inside the high school's old gymnasium.
The Spring Concert is themed "Ireland to Appalachia" and will feature string students from second to twelfth graders in the program.
Formed by a mixture of beginners in the program and those who have been a member for 10 years, students will play folk music with Irish roots which made its way across the ocean to Appalachia.
"It's really nice to be live again, I'm sure a lot of other performers share these things," said Williamstown High School junior Zoe Daugherty. "I'm elated, because this is my life. Performing the violin, it's a big part of who I am. I like doing it and I like having people there to hear it. I like the recognition, I think all of us do."
Taught by teacher Ashley Clark, the program was supposed to present "Ireland to Appalachia" last spring but was forced to delay the concert due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
The students have practiced over Zoom meetings during the majority of the school years. To finally be allowed to play together with the return to in-person learning, Clark said she and the program are looking forward to playing in-front of a live audience.
"We're really excited about this, it's been so easy to talk about all the things that people have missed out on this last year and a half or so and to kind of dwell on all the restrictions," Clark said. "It's just really exciting to be able to celebrate the things that we can do again and play together in person and share that with the community."
Attendance is limited to immediate family members of the performers. Streaming of the concert will available on the program's YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/3tz0ora.
"It's very interesting because normally, we don't have limits on how many people we can have. So it's going to be a very different experience. But we have a nice selection of a lot of upbeat fiddle music this year and it's just very fun to play and hopefully that comes through in the performance," said Williamstown senior Jacob Huggins. "It's going to be fun to be playing with other people and having other people live to hear it, of course going to be a nice idea."
Contact Tyler Bennett at tbennett@newsandsentinel.com