By Shannon Smith
Emily McLawhorn, a junior at Greene Central, has recently been selected for a second time to the North Carolina Eastern All-State Symphony.
McLawhorn has been playing for 14 years. She had to prepare scales and a piece to audition. The piece she auditioned was “Concerto No. 4 Op. 15” by Friedrich Seitz.
“I was apprehensive before I auditioned. To prepare, I practiced all of the audition requirements very diligently,” stated McLawhorn.
The orchestra will practice on the last weekend of February at Fuquay-Varina. They will practice all day Saturday and half of Sunday and will perform Sunday night.
This semester, McLawhorn is taking Honors Symphonic Band, Latin II online, Honors Algebra II, and English II.
Along with her advanced classes, McLawhorn plays the piccolo and flute for the Greene Central Marching Rams. She is also a the member of the Shag Club.
Josh Griffin, McLawhorn’s Honors Symphonic band teacher and the Greene Central Marching Rams band director, said proudly, “I think it’s great! She really worked hard, and she is well deserving of this honor.”
On top of her other activities and school work, Mclawhorn volunteers at East Carolina football and basketball games in the concession stands and plays the violin and flute in her church, Winterville Free Will Baptist.
She also practices with the Eastern Youth Orchestra on Monday’s, takes private violin lessons on Tuesday’s, and sings with the Greene Central Ramblers every Tuesday and Thursday night.
McLawhorn loves playing her violin and hopes to pursue a career with it. She is leaning toward attending Meredith College.
McLawhorn also enjoys teaching her seven students to play violin. She has one student whom she teaches right after school on Wednesday’s, and six more on Friday’s for three hours.
McLawhorn also sung with the Greenville Choral Society during her freshman year of high school.
She is the daughter of Ed and Annell McLawhorn of Maury.