This past December, at the intermediate orchestra concert, a seventh grade student played the piano accompaniment for the concert.

Normally, this student plays violin in the beginning orchestra, but was invited to play a completely different instrument with the more advanced group.

One day, at the end of his class, Alexander Suh mentioned to one of the orchestra directors, Clayton Allen, that Suh could play piano in addition to violin.

It turns out, Allen knew Suh’s private lessons teacher, and so asked Suh to play a piece.
Suh sat down at the piano and played the three-minute-long “Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum” by Claude Debussy, which was no easy task.

The next day, Allen asked Suh to come to his office.

It was then that Allen gave Suh the accompanying piano music to the intermediate orchestra concert.
Suh has been playing piano since he was five years old, and has become an exceptional pianist because of his dedication, along with having amazing teachers and opportunities.

“I play because I have a profound passion for music and feel like it helps me calm down and be a better person,” he said.

“My sister also plays and we both know music is a huge part of our lives.”
He has lived in many different places and has had four different piano teachers since he started.

“When we first moved here, the sister-in-law of our realtor. . . told us about Ms. Lisa Emmenheiser Sarratt,” Suh said.

“She had an interview with us, and she accepted.” Emmenheiser Sarratt plays for the National Symphony Orchestra as their main pianist. She’s been playing with the NSO for the past 25 years.

Twice Suh got pulled out of his first period class with Venetia Edwards, the Purple Piranhas history teacher, to help out the intermediate orchestra with concert preparation.

“When the second request came, I of course hesitated, but the director said to me that Alexander was an amazing performer and had been requested by name to assist in the rehearsal,” Edwards said.

“Alexander is a very bright and conscientious student. I felt that he could make up the missed work without too much trouble.”

Suh also went to after-school rehearsals to practice his piano pieces leading up to the winter concert.
This school year, Suh decided to take violin in addition to continuing his private lessons for piano, because he wanted to start a new instrument.

He thinks the sound of violin is “really beautiful.” He is thinking about starting private lessons for violin later this year, in addition to his piano lessons.

Suh thought the intermediate winter concert went “wonderfully and all of the orchestras sounded great.”

Suh also performed at the spring concert, and it has been confirmed that he will be accompanying the orchestra for the Hershey Park assessment.