As an 11-time honoree of The NAMM Foundation’s “Best Communities for Music Education,” it is no surprise that Abington School District’s music department has made headlines over the past few weeks.
Abington School District’s ties to the Philadelphia Orchestra were on display last month, when nine representatives of the Abington Senior High School orchestra had the opportunity to perform the National Anthem under the direction of longtime music teacher, Ms. Nancy Voigt, at the annual luncheon of the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board. The event, attended by more than 600 local business leaders, politicians and other dignitaries from across Montgomery County–including Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro–also featured a special performance from the Philadelphia Orchestra, as the group used the luncheon to showcase its upcoming concert scheduled for Abington Township’s own Keswick Theatre in March 2019.
Abington alumna and the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board’s Director of Arts & Culture, Ms. Jessica Willingham, invited Ms. Voigt and her students to perform at the annual luncheon as the ASHS orchestra, as well as the Abington Junior High School orchestra, will have the opportunity in March to rehearse alongside the Philadelphia Orchestra musicians during the day, which will be followed by a community concert in the evening. This will be a great opportunity for Abington School District’s orchestra students to work alongside several members of the world-famous Philadelphia Orchestra. To learn more about the annual luncheon for Valley Forge, and the opportunity it provided for Abington School District’s music program, read the following article from Pottstown’s The Mercury newspaper.
In an additional connection to the Philadelphia Orchestra, an announcement was recently made—and covered by The Philadelphia Inquirer–that former Abington School District music teacher, Ms. Jane Kesson, donated $4.7 million to the Orchestra as part of her will. Ms. Kesson was another longtime educator in Abington Schools, who passed away last year at age 90. Over the years, Kesson taught music at the secondary and elementary levels–including at Glenside-Weldon Junior High and McKinley Elementary School–and also led the choir. The story covering Ms. Kesson’s gift quotes past Abington School District employees, as well as former students, about the type of legacy she left behind.
