Andrew Heltsley: Orchestra

PARENTS’ FIRST/ LAST NAMES: Ray Heltsley, Yvonne Heltsley

GROUPS : I was honored to play in the WPCA Chamber Group and the Knoch Orchestra Chamber Group.

INSTRUMENT(s): I play Viola and Guitar.

NUMBER OF YEARS PLAYING/SINGING: I have played 9 years of viola and 4 years of guitar.

AWARDS/ RECOGNITION: I went to PMEA Districts and Regionals in 2019 and 2020 and made it to States in 2020!

FUTURE PLANS/ COLLEGE OF CHOICE (MAJOR): I will be attending Akron University for Civil Engineering.

FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS MEMORY: The Disney trip my freshman year. You can’t get any better than playing Mao in the hotel hallway.

FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL SUBJECT AND FAVORITE TEACHER: Calc II is always a blast. Mr. Pflugh always made his classroom seem like a second home, filled with battles and a sight to see for us nerds and geeks!

What would you like to say to your performing arts teachers/directors?

Thank you for always supporting me in my journey through music. It might have taken me awhile to get going, but you never stopped pushing me on. 

What would you like to say to your parents?

Thank you for taking me to all my activities that I did. A weekly trip to Verona isn’t a quick one! Even more than that, you taught me to look at others before myself and to never stop rooting for the opponent. I can’t thank you enough. 

What would you like to say to your performing arts peers, either specifically or as a whole?

You have given me great memories for my highschool career. Never stop playing music and put your heart into it.

Advice for underclassmen?

Be a part of everything you possibly can. You might be stressed with all the work you can get from the groups, but the memories of your concerts and trips will far outweigh it. 

Remember that you can always be better, so never stop striving for more than you can muster today.