Highlands Community Orchestra
A community orchestra is an unusual occurrence in a small, mountain town. Gretta
Sandberg, the founder & director of the orchestra, has always been adamant about the
need to have some form of ensemble for players who ‘age out of’ a music program,
whether it is graduating from high school, graduating from college or just feeling a need
to get back to that instrument that gave them so much joy as a younger person. When
Ms. Sandberg got to the ‘re-retirement’ point of leaving the Allegheny Mountain String
Project, of which she was a co-founder in 2010, and before that her 44-year public
school career as an instructor and youth orchestra director, she decided to realize the
dream of having a community orchestra in Monterey, VA.
“I started to realize the project by asking the Highland County Arts Council, of which I
had been the secretary for many years, if they would sponsor the orchestra by being its
fiscal umbrella. The Council readily agreed, and I was off to a running start! I asked all
the orchestral instrumental players that I knew in Highland County. From there, the word
began to spread into West Virginia, Pocahontas, and Pendleton Counties. Green Bank
Observatory has so many talented people working there – I knew that they must have
played an instrument in their younger days and sure enough, five of my strongest
players are or had been employed by Green Bank! In fact, twenty of my twenty-eight
orchestra players are from West Virginia!!” Ms. Sandberg shared.
The Highlands Community Orchestra is a donation-sponsored orchestra. All the
expenses are covered by donations to the orchestra by generous community donations.
There are several expenses that an orchestra incur, such as purchasing music &
supplies (music stands, stand lights, batteries for the stand lights, etc.), but also rental
of the Highland Center for rehearsals and concerts. The Highland Center has been very
generous in their rental fees for rehearsals and for scheduling the rehearsals &
concerts.
The Highlands Community Orchestra is open to any player who has had some
experience in orchestral playing, has had experience in reading music and has the
desire to continue their playing by being at scheduled rehearsals & concerts and will
drive the distance it takes to get to the Highland Center! Some players travel over an
hour to get to rehearsals & concerts. There is not another community orchestra in all
this region in Virginia & West Virginia. The closest community orchestra is in
Waynesboro, VA! There is no audition necessary to join the group – just the desire to
make music with others in the region and to bring joy to the communities!
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For more information on becoming a member of the orchestra, please contact:
Gretta Sandberg grettasandberg@gmail.com or call: (540) 468-2769.
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