PolyToday: Virtual meeting

Fifth grade Junior Orchestra recently had the opportunity to experience a virtual meeting via Skype on the large screen in Founders Hall with composer Soon Hee Newbold. For many years, Junior Orchestra musicians have loved playing Newbold's colorful music with a broad range of themes, including
medieval kings, Gaelic dances, civil war heroes, haunted castles, Russian music boxes, and wild western frontiers. After spending rehearsals through the year learning Newbold’s pieces, students were eager to meet this living composer. They performed and received a warm acknowledgment from her, then had the opportunity to learn the answers to a bevy of questions. They wondered how she got started with composition, how long it took her to write pieces, and what else she likes to do in her free time. Turns out Newbold has her black belt in Taekwondo and is also a violinist, pianist, conductor, and a police officer!