Congratulations!

You have been selected to participate in the 2026 GMEA District 12 High School Honor Orchestra Event
Confirm your acceptance by completing this form:

District 12 Honor Orchestra Acceptance Form (Tap/Click)
(https://forms.gle/ssZNpZHbnD3tZHwk7)
Accept your spot by Friday, October 9

READ ALL DETAILS BELOW CAREFULLY

Dear District 12 Honor Orchestra Students,Congratulations on your selection into the 2026 GMEA District 12 High School Honor Orchestra Event! This year marks a special milestone, as for the first time in more than twenty years, District 12 will feature two honor orchestras, allowing more outstanding student musicians from across the district to participate in this exceptional event. Students have been placed into ensembles based on the audition process, with the Hostetter Orchestra (directed by Paul Hostetter) performing the repertoire associated with the audition excerpts and the new second Metrio Orchestra (directed by David Metrio) performing a carefully selected program that is designed for more students to receive the opportunity to participate in the Honor Orchestra event, providing an engaging and rewarding musical challenge. Both ensembles will have the opportunity to work with outstanding guest conductors, perform high quality literature, and represent the very best of music education in our district.

Beyond the music itself, one of the most valuable aspects of the District 12 Honor Orchestra experience is the opportunity for you to connect with fellow musicians from schools and organizations outside of your own program. We encourage you to take time to meet students outside of your own orchestra program, connect with them, and build new friendships with others who share your passion for creating and sharing music. Bringing together talented young musicians from different communities in order to create music together is one of the most meaningful traditions of our district honor events, and we hope you embrace this opportunity to learn from the guest clinicians and from one another, while making friendships and lasting memories through the powerful art of creating and sharing music together.

If for any reason you are no longer able to participate, let your teacher know immediately so that an alternate can be notified. A no-show at rehearsal will cause you to be dropped from the concert and you will be ineligible to participate in the District 12 Honor Orchestra next year.

GMEA District 12 Honor Orchestra Schedule
The rehearsals and concert will be located at Kennesaw Mountain High School
1898 Kennesaw Due West Rd, Kennesaw, GA 30152

Conductors

• The Hostetter Orchestra will be conducted by Paul Hostetter, Distinguished Chair in Orchestral Activities for the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University.
• The Metrio Orchestra will be conducted by David Metrio, Resident Conductor and Creative Director of Education and Engagement for the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera and Director of Orchestras at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
  
  Schedule
  Thursday November 5, 2026:                                                     
• 4:30 pm Check-In
• 5:00 – 6:30 pm Sectional Rehearsal (Hostetter Orchestra)
• 5:00 – 6:30 pm Metrio Orchestra Rehearsal
• 6:30 – 7:00 pm Snack Break (Bring your own snack)
• 7:00 – 8:30 pm Orchestra Rehearsals

Friday November 6, 2026:

• 8:30 am Check-In
• 9:00 am – 11:30 am Metrio Orchestra Rehearsal
• 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Metrio Orchestra Lunch
• 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm Metrio Orchestra Rehearsal
•  9:00 am – 12:30 pm Hostetter Orchestra Rehearsal
• 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Hostetter Orchestra Lunch
• 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Hostetter Orchestra Rehearsal
• 3:30 – 4:45 pm Snack + Change into Concert Attire
• 4:50 pm Metrio Orchestra Seated on Stage for Tuning
• 5:00 pm Concert (Metrio Orchestra)
• 5:30 pm Transition
• 5:50 pm Hostetter Orchestra Seated on Stage for Tuning
• 6:00 pm Concert (Hostetter Orchestra)
  

Participation Fee
The participation fee is $35 and must be paid to your school’s orchestra program. Your director will submit one check for your entire school/organization.

Snacks/Lunch:
Dinner will NOT be provided on Thursday or Friday. Please eat prior to arriving and/or bring a snack as there will be a snack break. On Friday, a pizza lunch will be provided for you at Kennesaw Mountain HS. If you have any dietary restrictions or do not wish to eat pizza, feel free to bring your own lunch. There will not be time on either day to leave campus and come back. Plan on bringing a snack and water bottle with you.

Travel Time:

Please plan accordingly for travel time. If you are late to rehearsal, you will be moved to the back of the section. Arriving on time for check-in guarantees you will have time to unpack, tune, and warm-up before the rehearsals start.

Concert Attire:

Students must wear their formal orchestra uniform/concert black for the concert. There will be a short time to change before the concert. Bring your concert attire with you on Friday morning.

Music:
Download here:
Hostetter Orchestra Music: https://tinyurl.com/Hostetter-Orchestra

Metrio Orchestra Music: https://tinyurl.com/Metrio-Orchestra

You must practice the music prior to the first rehearsal. Rehearsal time is limited and should be used to learn how the conductor wants to interpret the music and to learn everyone else’s part.

Sign up for the District 12 Honor Orchestra Remind.  Use App or Text 81010 with the message: @26D12Honor

2026 Guest Conductor

Paul Hostetter, Columbus State University

See below for the selected excerpts and scales for auditions on Thursday, September 17, 2026 at Kennesaw Mountain HS.  Your teacher has your audition time.

Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your audition time. Enter through the main entrance, signs will be posted.

Violins:

• Excerpt #2, start at m. 5 to the end
• Excerpt #3, all
• G melodic minor scale and arpeggio. Scale slurred 2 at EN = 120 BPM (3 octaves), Arpeggio detaché at QN = 60.

Note: Violins will travel through three rooms, one for each excerpt and the scale.  Students will be limited to approximately 45 seconds of performance time in each room. Please be sure you are playing scales and arpeggios at the correct tempo.

Viola:

• Excerpt #2, all (be sure sure to play top of divisi)
• Excerpt #3, all
• C melodic minor scale and arpeggio. Scale slurred 2 at EN = 120 BPM (3 octaves), Arpeggio detaché at QN = 60.

Cello:

• Excerpt #3, all
• Excerpt #4, start 3rd line, second measure (m. 12) to the end
• C melodic minor scale and arpeggio. Scale slurred 2 at EN = 120 BPM (3 octaves), Arpeggio detaché at QN = 60.

Bass:

• Excerpt #2, Start at m. 5 to the end
• Excerpt #3, all
• G melodic minor scale and arpeggio. Scale slurred 2 at EN = 120 BPM (2 octaves), Arpeggio detaché at QN = 60.

Audition Registration

Deadline to register for the audition is: September 3 by 11:59pm.
Audition times for 9/17 will be sent out by September 8.

You or your students can register for the event here:

Audition Registration Form https://forms.gle/6SHsD98Q3BRvpaeQA

Audition Fee

There is a $10/student audition fee that will be collected by your school

Audition Excerpts

Audition Excerpts can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/dbtjwrct (this is the UPDATED link with the version 2 corrected cello excerpts)

Up to 2 excerpts and up to 2 scales will be chosen for the audition.

The Chosen Excerpts and Scales will be posted here at 8pm on Wednesday, September 16 (the evening before the audition)

Audition Date/Location

Auditions will take place on September 17 from 4:30pm – 8:30pm.

There will be signs posted around the campus directing parents/students to the correct location.

All events (audition, rehearsals, and concert) will be held at:

Kennesaw Mountain High School, 1898 Due West Rd, Kennesaw, GA 30152. Google Maps Link

Honor Orchestra Event

• Thursday, November 5, Sectionals and rehearsal from 4:30-8:00pm
• Friday, November 6, 8:30am-4:00pm
• Friday, November 6, 6:00pm – Concert

Note: There is a $35/student acceptance fee that may be collected by your school

Event Location: Kennesaw Mountain High School, 1898 Due West Rd, Kennesaw, GA 30152. Google Maps Link

Georgia State University Partnership

We are excited to partner with Georgia State University’s School of Music this year who will be

providing their wonderful faculty for our sectionals on Thursday!

Conductor

We are excited to announce that our conductor for this year’s District 12 Honor Orchestra will be

Paul Hostetter, Director of Orchestral Studies at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University.

Maestro Hostetter is an incredible musician and engaging educator. If your students don’t know him, please

feel free to share his bio: https://www.paulhostetter.com

Repertoire Listening

Sponsor: William Harris Lee & Co.

William Harris Lee & Co will be the 2026 District 12 Honor Orchestra sponsor who will be at the event for

repairs and have instruments available for trial for our students. They are also kindly printing programs and

providing our students with music folders.

Questions? Contact us!  Koji Mori, coordinator, Harrison Cook, site host