Largest
String Ensemble - world record set by String Jam '10
KIRKLAND, Wash., USA -- 392 musicians,
ranging in age from 5 to 65, from Redmond and the region gathered
at the Juanita High School Field House for the "String Jam
'10" event, organized by the Redmond
Region Orchestra Boosters - setting the new world
record for the Largest
String Ensemble under one roof.
The event netted approximately $7,500 that
will be used to support orchestra programs in the Lake Washington
School District.
String Jam '10 was videotaped and
monitored by more than 20 designated observers who were posted
throughout the performance area to ensure that all registered
participants were actually playing.
Most of the players at String Jam '10 were
public school orchestra students who wanted to demonstrate
the importance of school music programs, especially in a weak
economy.
The ensemble began the event with a classical
piece, Pachelbel's Canon in D and wrapped up its mass performance
with Deep Purple's classic rock hit "Smoke on the Water."
"The excitement, concentration and sheer
joy that I saw in participants' faces is a memory that I will
keep forever," said Paula C. Ferguson, orchestra teacher
at Redmond High School and Redmond Junior High School.
"The event was a great reminder to me that we're
not just teaching string playing and music but trying to relay
to our students the love of music and how it can be part of
them for the rest of their lives."
String Jam ’10 was presented by the Redmond
Region Orchestra Boosters (a non-profit parent group
that supports school orchestra programs), and the Lake Washington
School District.
String Jam was sponsored by Classical
KING-FM and the City of Redmond Arts Commission.