Sophomore Plays First Chair

Kyler Stanion, sophomore at Northwest Academy and member of the high school band, performed as a part of the prestigious Metropolitan Young Symphony Orchestra. He is one of only 80 students who played in the event held at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, the home of the world-renowned Oregon Symphony.

“It was really amazing,” Aden Qamar, a sophomore and fellow high school band member who attended the performance, said. “I’m actually pretty impressed.”

The Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra is an elite program for talented young musicians in the Portland Metro area.

At the event, which took place on March 8th, Stanion played the clarinet, and more notably, was first chair. He is part of the orchestra level, the highest expertise tier in the organization.

“We played three pieces by ourselves, and we played a bunch of pieces with the choirs of Wilson and Grant high schools,” Stanion said. “We also did a song from La Traviata, which is an opera, accompanied by two members of the Portland Opera. That was a really cool experience because I’ve never played opera before or an accompaniment.”

Qamar was not the only Northwest Academy student to attend the performance.

“I am really proud of him, he did really well,” Havana Soler, a freshman who also came to the event to support her friend, said.

Stanion is also a composer. Recently in the high school band, Stanion composed a piece that the band played and recorded. Stanion used it as an artistic response for an English class.

“Kyler is definitely, for sure, on his way to becoming a professional musician,” Qamar said.

John Savage, their band teacher, an accomplished musician himself, praised Stanion on his work ethic as well as his talent.

“Kyler is a dedicated clarinetist who works very, very hard,” Savage said. “He well deserves all the good things coming his way.”

Stanion has been playing with the orchestra since he was in the 7th grade.

“To be honest, it was just really, really cool,” Stanion said. “I always just love playing.”

For Stanion, performing at such a prestigious event in the home of a professional symphony was a huge milestone.

“It feels as though I’ve just accomplished everything in the world,” Stanion said.