UpperArlington – Mountain Spring Festival

Upper Arlington Symphony Strings
from Ohio, USA

The Upper Arlington Symphony Strings is a dynamic, select ensemble drawn from the renowned Upper Arlington Orchestra Program, celebrating over a century of musical excellence since its founding in 1922. As one of seven orchestras at Upper Arlington High School, this advanced group highlights the program’s rich tradition of musical artistry. With a strong focus on foundational technique, strong pedagogy, and diverse repertoire, the program has flourished under directors such as Grammy Award winning Bill Boggs, Mr. John Deliman, Mr. Ed Zunic and finally Gretchen Wyder Zunic and Chris Lape, who all helped to expand the high school program to over 220 dedicated string students.

The ensemble carries forward the program’s legacy of national and international acclaim, including winnings and high placements at prestigious competitions such as the A.S.T.A. National Orchestra Festival, the National Orchestra Cup and the Festival of Gold. They have performed at iconic venues like Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, and the Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. Most of the musicians study privately and participate in O.M.E.A. Regional and All-State Orchestras, Columbus Symphony Youth Ensembles and various other honor orchestras.

CHORISTERS
Joseph Agredano, Julianne Alcantara, Susan Blair, Bridget Ahearn, Dakota Aguilar-Sorrosa, Cathy Barba, Laura Blanton, Irving Bonilla, Tevin Caranto, Matthew Chamberlain, Mathan Densing, Estefania Hernandez, Paul Horspool, laura Karst, Ninoangelo Lastimosa, Ngwesse Celine Ntube Mengang, Lucia Perez, Joseph Saeteurn, Emmy Sanfilippo, Zach Szerlip, Nora Voilyn

The Directors

Gretchen Wyder Zunic

Orchestra Director

Gretchen Wyder Zunic serves as the Head Orchestra Director at Upper Arlington High School in Columbus. She is in her thirty-first year as a string specialist in Upper Arlington and previously taught strings in the Hilliard City Schools and the Findlay City Schools. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Bowling Green State University and her Master of Arts Degree from The Ohio State University where she received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award. Ms. Wyder Zunic currently serves as Past-President of the Ohio String Teachers Association, and Co-Chair of the Central Ohio String Festival. In addition to being an active OMEA Adjudicator, she serves as Secretary of the Youth Philharmonic of Central Ohio and on the Board of the Vivo Music Festival where she is on the Education Committee and an administrator of the VIVO Student Workshop. She is a twice recipient of the Upper Arlington Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education and has been honored as a Distinguished Alumni of Princeton City Schools and Bowling Green State University. Ms. Wyder Zunic was named Ohio Teacher of the Year by the Ohio String Teachers Association in 2019. Recently she was the recipient of the Columbus Manilow Music Teacher Award to recognize teachers whose passion and dedication bring music to life for their students. Her groups have performed in many national adjudicated events and are frequently invited to perform at the O.M.E.A. Conference. Ms. Wyder Zunic is a frequent guest conductor and clinician. She has presented sessions at the Ohio Music Education Association Conference and the American String Teachers Association Conference. She is currently the second violinist of the Columbus String Quartet and was previously a member of the Lima Symphony and Westerville Symphony.

Christopher Lape

Orchestra Director

Christopher Lape is in his 13th year of teaching and 9th year as an orchestra director at Upper Arlington Schools, where he has held positions at the High School and Jones Middle School. Prior to teaching in Upper Arlington, Mr. Lape was the Orchestra Director at Dublin Sells Middle School and the Director of Orchestras for the Newark City School District. His commitment to excellence in education has earned him significant honors, including being named a Yamaha “40 Under 40” Music Educator (2024), the Ohio String Teacher of the Year (2020), and a recipient of the UA Civic Association’s Golden Apple Award (2022). Ensembles under his direction have been invited to perform at the OMEA Professional Development Conference, the National Orchestra Festival, and across the United States and Europe. Mr. Lape is an active adjudicator, clinician, and guest artist. He has presented at the professional conferences of the American String Teachers Association and the Ohio Music Education Association, with whom he maintains active memberships. Mr. Lape is a clinician and administrator for the Ohio State String Teacher Workshop. He currently serves on the board of the Ohio String Teachers Association, chair of the OMEA South Central Region, co-chair of the Central Ohio String Festival, and vice chair of the American String Teachers Association National Conference. Mr. Lape performs regularly around Central Ohio with his string quartet and is principal violist of the Newark-Granville Symphony. He holds dual undergraduate degrees in Violin Performance and Music Education from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in Viola Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Mr. Lape resides in Hilliard with his wife, Adrienne, and orange tabby cat, Neko.