Port Townsend orchestra students fundraise for April trip to San Francisco

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In the middle of the Port Townsend High School cafeteria, a dozen students have gathered to practice. These are the second violinists and violists of the school's award-winning orchestra program, which last year received second place at a regional orchestra competition in Gresham, Oregon.

Now, the musicians have a higher goal: the Music in the Parks competition in San Francisco in April.

During the three-day trip, they plan not only to compete, but also to attend a performance of the San Francisco Symphony and participate in a clinic at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Junior Amelia Breithaupt said she is excited to "go down there and experience more music and meet more people interested in music."

Students and parents are working hard to raise the remaining funds for the trip. They have set up a GoFundMe page for donations, found at

Strings2SanFran.com. In fall 2015, students started busking in downtown Port Townsend for donations.

"Taking over 40 students to San Francisco is quite an undertaking and requires tons of student and parent work," said orchestra director Daniel Ferland. "We have a great opportunity to represent Port Townsend on a large stage as well as give the kids a great experience they will remember for years to come."

This year, a new class, Advanced Music and Media Arts, lets students delve deeper into certain musical careers that interest them. Many are studying the technological aspects of music, a subject that is one of the larger focuses of the clinic at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Visit Strings2SanFran.com.