Rocky Point High School orchestra students junior Yuuki Donnelly (violin) and freshman Charles Hinst (cello), performed in the Long Island String Festival Association’s Suffolk Secondary Festival, recently held at Hauppauge High School. Rocky Point Middle School eighth grader Sena Donnelly (violin) and Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School fifth grader Stella Cheng (violin), performed in the Long Island String Festival Association’s Suffolk Intermediate Festival, recently held at Elwood Middle School.
 
A concert hall filled with the sounds of beautiful string music. It was this profoundly simple idea in the spring of 1956 which sparked the great moments that comprise the rich history of the Long Island String Festival. From humble beginnings, three string orchestras for all Long Island, the organization has continued to grow. In 1963, Nassau and Suffolk each had their own festival. The success of LISFA lies in the strength of the string teachers on Long Island, their talented students, the parents who support their musical development and the quality of the conductors who together celebrate the power of music.
 
Yuuki, Charles, Sena and Stella work extremely hard to heighten their musical skills and level of proficiency under the caring guidance of Rocky Point High School orchestra director Mr. Nicholas Butcher, Rocky Point Middle School orchestra director Mrs. Meghan Walter and Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School orchestra director Mr. Dave Ventura. Acceptance into the LISFA Festival is an exceptional achievement. Students were selected based on a combination of their New York State School Music Association Solo Festival evaluation scores being the main criteria coupled with teacher written recommendations.
 
Mr. Butcher, Ms. Walter and Mr. Ventura are very proud of their students who represented Rocky Point in this year’s LISFA Festival. Mr. Ventura said, “I would like to congratulate Stella Cheng for her participation in this year’s festival. LISFA picks the top orchestra students from Suffolk and Nassau County to perform in a prestigious concert. Stella’s hard work and dedication shined through as she performed beautifully with an orchestra filled with the finest fifth grade students. I’m so proud of Stella’s maturity, musicality and perseverance!” Mrs. Walter added, “We are very proud of the Rocky Point students who represented our music department by being selected to the LISFA festivals. They are truly remarkable musicians and wonderful assets to our strong program. We are very lucky to teach such incredibly gifted students!”
 
A joint congratulatory message from Rocky Point Music Departments Chairpersons Amy Schecher and Craig Knapp read, “We are incredibly proud of the students selected to perform at the LISFA Festivals. Their accomplishments are commendable, and it is a monumental honor and challenging accomplishment to be selected for a LISFA Festival. They are exceptional musicians and dedicated leaders of their respective orchestra ensembles in Rocky Point. We would also like to thank our fabulous and dedicated orchestra directors, Mr. Butcher, Mrs. Walter, and Mr. Ventura, for nominating and preparing their students for this distinguished event. We are thankful for their hard work, dedication and contributions to the Rocky Point Music Department. We would like to thank the Rocky Point administration and Board of Education for continuing to support these musical endeavors. Thank you to the families of these talented students for all their support and encouragement. Thank you Yuuki, Charles, Sena and Stella for representing the Rocky Point Music Department with musical excellence!”