Cyndi Loza

The sounds of the Senior Honor Orchestra filled the Damonte Ranch High School theater as the students rehearsed for their performance Saturday.

The Washoe County School District Honor Orchestra Concert will be begin at 7 tonight at Damonte Ranch high school, 10500 Rio Wrangler Parkway. The show will feature performances by middle school students in the Junior Honor Orchestra and high school students in the Senior Honor Orchestra.

The senior orchestra will be conducted by international composer/conductor Dr. Elliot Del Borgo.

“I’m really excited because I get to play with the most talented musicians in Reno,” said cello player Matt Linaman, 16, a junior at Reno High School. “It’s also an honor to be under the direction of Dr. Del Borgo.”

Del Borgo has published more 600 compositions for a variety of media and, most notably, composed the music for the closing ceremonies of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

“I think we’re good but for us to make it honorable to him we can do better,” said violinist Melissa Portis, 18, a senior at Reed High School.

Senior Honor Orchestra will premier one of Del Borgo’s latest compositions at the event.

“I hadn’t conducted it myself with a live group, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to do it,” Del Borgo said.

He said he was happy to see a great number of good string players in Reno.

“I think the kids are very well prepared and it was very helpful because last night when we started we didn’t have to go over any notes,” Del Borgo said The senior orchestra includes 88 students with an additional 60 in the junior orchestra.

“I think music is the most beautiful language in the world,” Linaman said. “It’s so open to interpretation that it can still act as a universal language.”