St. Luke’s hosts PA high schoolers for Music Live

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 11, 2018

This month’s Music Live with Lunch at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church hosts two award-winning teen musicians from Port Angeles.

Pianist Emma Weller and viola player Lauren Waldron perform at noon on Tuesday, April 17, with lunch served after the show.

Weller plans to play “Toccata” by Aram Khachaturian and “Wedding Day” by Edvard Grieg while Waldron will play “Prelude” from Bach’s “Cello Suite 6,” along with “Prelude” from Bach’s Cello Suite 2.” As a finale, the pair will play as a duet “Ave Maria” written and arranged by Bach and Gounod.

Waldron has been playing viola for nine years and plays for the Port Angeles High School Chamber Orchestra as principle violist along with the high school’s Symphonic Orchestra, the Port Angeles String Quartet and the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra.

As a soloist, Waldron has placed first in four consecutive solo viola competitions including the Nico Snel Young Artist Competition sponsored by the Port Angeles Symphony, and at Washington’s All-State Symphony Orchestra. Waldron also won the National Federation of Music Clubs’ Wendell Irish Viola Award. Following graduation from Port Angeles High School, she plans to major in viola performance in college.

Weller has played piano since she was eight and she took second last year and third this year at the Young Artist Competition. At Port Angeles High School, she was selected as the state piano soloist for the North Olympic region. She’ll also sing at state with the high school choir Bella Voce. Weller is also active in swimming, riding horses, and raising pigs through 4H as president of Lambchops 4H Club. After high school, she hopes to become a theoretical astrophysicist.

Music Live with Lunch was founded at St. Luke’s Church, 525 N. Fifth Ave., as a musical outreach to the community. Hot lunch follows the 30-minute concert with tickets costing $12 each in advance or at the door. Contact the church from 9 a.m.-noon Monday-Thursday in-person or by calling 360-683-4862.