What is the National High School Honors Orchestra?
The National High School Honors Orchestra (NHSHO) is a performing group of 120 competitively selected high school musicians who assemble biennially to perform at the ASTA National Conference. How are the students selected for membership in the NHSHO? Students who are juniors or seniors in high school apply for the orchestra through their state chapter of ASTA. They submit an audition tape/CD of required literature and three minutes form literature of their own choosing. The state coordinator (selected by the state ASTA president) and an audition committee select up to thirty tapes/CDs to forward to the national level. Separate audition committees for strings, winds, and percussion select the 120 students for the orchestra. The students are required to be members of their school orchestra. Students must follow the application process as stated above to be considered by the national committee. When was the NHSHO established? In 1986, the first orchestra convened in Anaheim CA, under the
