Region II: Region, All-County, and All-State Orchestras
1) Region Orchestra - 7th and 8th graders will be asked to audition for Region Orchestra. The audition is blind - meaning that the judges can hear the students play, but they cannot see the students. If a student has a successful audition, the student will perform in the Region Orchestra Event.
Audition Date/Location: September 27, 2025 @ League Academy
Event Date/Location: November 14,15, 2025 @ Wade Hampton HS/FAC
2) All-County Orchestra - 7th and 8th grader who did not make it into the Region Orchestra may try to audition for All-County Orchestra: a middle school-only, 1 day event much like the Region Orchestra event. These auditions will be done virtually.
Audition: Audition videos due by October 31, 2025
Event Date/Location: January 30, 2026 @ Riverside High School
3) All-State Orchestra: Those who were successful in their Region auditions are allowed to continue on to compete at a state level. The auditions are always hosted in Columbia, SC as a middle ground for all the students that participate.
Audition Date/Location: January 10, 2026 @ Irmo High School
Event Date/Location: February 20-22, 2026 @ Furman University
4) Solo & Ensemble: S&E is an opportunity for students of all grades (6th - 8th) to perform as a soloist (by oneself) or with a small ensemble (a grouping of 2 - 5 musicians) for a judge to receive constructive feedback and a rating of either Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor. This experience allows students to play outside of the comfort of a larger group and to give them more accountability, as they will learn the music of their choosing on their own time (supplemented with occasional teacher guidance and feedback).
Locations: (determined location will be highlighted)
Site 1:Â April 10-11, 2026 @ Seneca Middle School
Site 2: April 17-18, 2026 @ Sterling School/Charles Townes Center
Site 3: May 1-2, 2026 @ Palmetto Middle School
5) Concert Performance Assessment: CPA is a required adjudicated performance for an entire class(es). During this field trip, we travel to a nearby facility and perform for judge panel to receive a rating of Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor, followed by a sight-reading performance where we, as a class (the director included), have a short period to learn a piece of music and play it for the monitoring judge. This performance opportunity challenges students to put their performance skills to the test under an intense, high-stakes environment and reap their reward with constructive feedback.
Event Date/Location: (determined location will be highlighted)
Site 1: TBD
Site 2: March 24-25, 2026 @ Southwood Academy of the Arts