Student Life
Arts

Orchestra

The mission of the Strake Jesuit orchestra is to educate musicians for others. We are dedicated to cultivating a student community of performers who embody the Jesuit ideals of educating men and women of conscience, competence, and compassionate commitment.

Cultivating Musicians

Become a musician with a conscience: We invite musicians to connect to God's creation through music performance. By selecting a diverse repertoire, we seek to foster a deep understanding of music compositions by promoting empathy, reflection, and critical thinking. Through performance, we encourage our musicians to become active co-creators and to share their musical gifts with their peers, audiences, and the broader school communities.   
 
Become proficient in your instrument: We invite our students to commit to excellence and the mastery of their instruments. Through consistent practice, coaching, and collaboration, we train our musicians with the technical skills and artistic discipline necessary to perform together as an ensemble. We foster a safe space for music expression and positive encouragement destined to continuously inspire our students to grow as musicians and leaders.
 
Be compassionate: We ask you to care for one another, become good stewards for each ensemble member, be patient with one another, and act with kindness. We are called to share our musical gifts with our community and audiences of all backgrounds.
 
Be committed: We invite you to participate in rehearsals, performances, and preparations. Being a musician for others will require effort, perseverance, and sacrifice; however, it will be gratifying. To many students, participating in music performances was a transformative experience that opened their minds and hearts!

String Orchestra

Rehearsals are Monday to Friday from 7:00 AM to 7:45 AM in the Parsley Center Stage. Rehearsals start at summer camp and end on the third week of May. The Strake Jesuit’s Baccalaureate Mass is this ensemble’s last performing engagement of the year. 
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Symphony Orchestra

Rehearsals start after Labor Day Weekend and meet two times a week (Mondays in the morning and Thursdays in the afternoon). These practices overlap with String Orchestra practices. This ensemble performs at our annual Christmas & Spring Concerts. All string players from the String Orchestra play in the Symphony Orchestra. 

Liturgical Orchestra

This ensemble performs at masses and other prayer services. During Strake Jesuit liturgies, all male students perform during mass. An All-SAA-student ensemble will perform some St. Agnes liturgies or events. 
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Chamber Orchestra

This group performs at special functions and events. Twelve musicians (SJ & SAA combined) are selected to perform at these events. NHS service hours are granted for covering these events. By default, all string players from both schools are in the string and symphony orchestra. Participation in Liturgical and Chamber orchestras is by the director’s recommendation only. 

Orchestra Events

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News

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Meet Our Orchestra Director

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  • Photo of Guillermo Hernandez-Ching

    Dr. Guillermo Hernandez-Ching 

    (713) 448-8445
    Role