Bridgeland High School Symphony Orchestra

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

Established in 2017, Bridgeland High School is nestled in the newest development in the northwest corridor of Houston, Texas. It is the newest of 12 high schools in Cypress Fairbanks ISD, which is consistently named a NAMM Foundation Best Communities for Music Education. The Bridgeland Symphony Orchestra was established in the Fall of 2021 by Sarah Lopes and Brenton Marquart with the assistance of Seth Freeman and Bailee Moore. The program strives to stretch the musicality of the most advanced students in the band and orchestra programs and to provide a high quality, after-school musical collaboration in this new community. The Bridgeland Symphony Orchestra has quickly developed into an up-and-coming recognizable program in Texas, receiving consistent superior ratings at the University Interscholastic League Concert & Sight-Reading Evaluation and earning two program Sweepstakes Awards. Of the five string orchestras at Bridgeland, the top two advanced string orchestras comprise the string section of the full Symphony Orchestra. This format allows the most advanced string students the opportunity to develop leadership skills; nurture the younger, eager students; and to more intensely stretch their collaborative skills. Several members of the string section are members of the Texas Music Educators Association All-Region and All-Area Orchestra. Auditions for winds and percussion are open to members of the Bridgeland Wind Symphony, the top of five bands in this thriving program. A large majority of the wind and percussion section are TMEA All-Region, All-Area, and All-State band members. Podium time is a true collaboration and shared between the four directors to provide students the opportunity to follow different conducting styles and podium personalities. Amazingly, 95% of the members grew up in the Cypress community and began their musical studies in sixth grade at Salyards and Smith Middle School, where instrumental music is first introduced in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. Furthermore, 80% of the ensemble members are first generation musicians.

Bridgeland High School Symphony Orchestra

Conductor's Bio

Sarah Lopes has taught public school orchestra for seventeen years and is the Director of Orchestras at Bridgeland High School in Cypress Fairbanks ISD. A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education where she studied with Dean Angeles and Allen Nisbet. During her time at Loyola, Ms. Lopes had the honor of serving as principal cellist in the orchestra, including a performance at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago nearly twenty years ago. Also during her time in New Orleans, Ms. Lopes worked as a freelance cellist, including two years as a contract substitute with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Having found an early joy in teaching, she taught with the New Orleans String Project for a number of years. Following her time in New Orleans, Ms. Lopes taught middle school orchestra in Richland County schools in Columbia, South Carolina, but ultimately came home to the great State of Texas. Her orchestras have earned consistently high ratings at contests, and more importantly, have enjoyed growing into a joyful community of young music enthusiasts and honorable citizens. Ms. Lopes holds memberships in the Texas Music Educators Association where she currently serves as Region 27 Vice President and is a Past President of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association. Ms. Lopes currently resides in Cypress, Texas with her beloved hounds, Molly and Manning, as well as her human family, Chris and Ophelia.

Additional Directors

Brenton Marquart

Seth Freeman

Bailee Moore