Atholton High School String Orchestra

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

Located in Columbia, Maryland, Atholton High School is part of the Howard County Public School System and has a population of approximately 1450 students. Atholton’s orchestra program offers students the opportunity to perform in a variety of musical settings, including string orchestra, symphony orchestra, chamber music, and pit orchestra. The Atholton Orchestra Program is currently experiencing a period of growth, having an increase in enrollment of 55% over the past three years. During the 2017 school year, Atholton will have 115 orchestra students participating in two string orchestras – the intermediate Concert Orchestra, and the audition only String Orchestra. The Atholton String Orchestra consistently receives superior ratings at music festivals at the regional and state level, routinely has members successfully audition for Maryland All State Orchestras (12 students in 2017), has performed as a featured ensemble at the Maryland Music Educators Association State Conference (March 2017), and is excited to share their passion and talents at The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in December 2017.

Atholton High School String Orchestra

Conductor's Bio

James Woomert is the Director of Orchestras and Music Technology at Atholton High School in Columbia, Maryland. Prior to arriving at Atholton in 2014, James served as Associate Director of Orchestras at the nationally recognized Carmel High School Orchestra Program in Carmel, Indiana. Originally from Toronto, Canada, James moved to Indiana to study at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he completed a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance and a Master of Science in Music Education. While attending IU, James studied string pedagogy with Dr. Brenda Brenner and Mimi Zweig and was a member of the founding staff of the Fairview Violin Project, a pilot musical outreach program providing violin instruction to at-risk elementary school students. As well as conducting and coaching various southern Indiana youth wind and string ensembles, James also taught music introduction and methods courses at Indiana University as an Associate Instructor.      In addition to his classroom and private studio teaching, James has been a freelance violist in the Indianapolis area, performed as a member of the Owensboro (KY) Symphony Orchestra from 2008-2012, toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and was selected to participate in three summer seasons with the National Academy Orchestra. James has also held leadership positions in the orchestras of Indiana University, performed with almost every regional orchestra in Indiana, and enjoyed the opportunity to perform on stage with such renowned musicians as Leonard Slatkin, Sir Andrew Davis, Jaime Laredo, and Joshua Bell. James is excited to join the Howard County High School Gifted and Talented Orchestra as Co-Director beginning in the 2017-2018 season. James’ principal teachers and musical mentors include Kent Teeple of the Toronto Symphony, Yuval Gotlibovich, formerly of Indiana University, and Soo Han of the Carmel High School Performing Arts Department.