Howard Middle School and Edgewater High School students performed alongside Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (OPO) musicians in a collaborative Side-by-Side concert on Monday, April 21, 2025, at Edgewater High School. The performance marked a year-long collaboration of OPO musicians and students.
Starting in August 2024, OPO musicians were sent into schools to lead sectionals and provide feedback to students. Lessons go over instrument technique, recommendations for practicing, and personal, tailored advice on improvement.
Adam from Edgewater High School says,
“I love the Side-by-Side program! I’m working with Rimma in the first violin section, and it’s incredible. She teaches us so much. It’s nice knowing we have professionals supporting us as youth. It gives me a lot of inspiration and motivates me to keep going, to one day be able to perform with the OPO.”
Adam will be attending the Honors College at the University of Florida and will continue playing in their ensembles.
The music itself is chosen to challenge the students. Their hard work pays off as they get to perform alongside their mentors at the final concert. Middle school students have the opportunity to not only learn from OPO Musicians, but from the high school students as well.
Halley from Howard Middle School says,
“I love [the Side-by-Side] program. I think it’s great. I love being able to see professional musicians who play the same instrument as me, and how they play and mark their music. I also like being able to see how the high school bands work. That’s also very interesting to me because I am in 8th grade and will be in those bands next year. I play oboe, and I’m the only oboe player in my school, I believe, so to me it’s really cool to be able to see and interact with other people who play the same instrument as me, and I don’t usually get that opportunity.”
Some students have been involved in the Side-by-Side program for many years and have seen the program grow.
Heidi from Edgewater High School says,
“I think the Side-by-Side program is a ton of fun. I think it’s also a great learning experience. I’ve been doing it since my ninth grade year, and I came from an underdeveloped program in my middle school, so for me it was really great to be able to play with these amazing musicians. I think it’s a great program and definitely teaches you a lot. To me, it shows that even if you’re a high school musician you’re still able to play with these people that we idolize (especially if you’re someone who wants to go into music to play in one of these orchestras), it’s incredibly important to see that you could do that, and being able to play with so many of them puts a big prestige to that.”
Participating OPO Musicians in the 2025 Side-by-Side program were Rimma Bergeron-Langlois and Alexander Stevens (violin); Joe Henderson (viola); Michael Hill (bass); Carrie Wiesinger (flute); Tamara Danielsson (saxophone); Jamie Strefeler (oboe); Seok Hee Jang (clarinet); Gabriel Bergeron-Langlois (bassoon); August Haller (horn); Daniel Kassteen (trumpet); Jeffrey Thomas (trombone); Robert Carpenter (tuba); and Mark Goldberg (percussion).
A majority of the participating musicians are the principal chairs of their sections in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and become mentors and role models for the students.
Jacob from Howard Middle School says,
“It really helps me understand the everyday process of being a professional musician. It’s really fun getting to see what they do, and I get really amazed at how they sound on their instrument.”
With each rehearsal and performance, these young artists gain not only skills but confidence, community, and a vision for what’s possible.
We are thankful to the Florida Theatrical Association for their sponsorship of this program and for making this impact possible in our community. We are also thankful for the school orchestra and band directors who help bring this program to life in such a collaborative way – Damon Wille, Howard Middle School Band Director; Steven Hernandez, Howard Middle School Orchestra Director; Camden Jordan, Edgewater High School Orchestra Director; Maria Toledo, Edgewater High School Band Director. With the continued support of this program, the future of music in our schools continues to shine brighter with every note.
To learn more about OPO Musicians: https://orlandophil.org/orchestra-musicians/
To learn more about the OPO Education Programs: https://orlandophil.org/notes-in-your-neighborhood/