Passionate young cellist among Long Bay Youth Orchestra to perform this week

Here’s your chance to take a mid-winter’s musical break.

The Long Bay Symphony Youth Orchestra’s winter production will play out with five musical pieces at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Myrtle Beach High School, and admission is free.

Jessica Miller, who manages the youth orchestra and plays principal oboe for the Long Bay Symphony, said 50 members make up the youth ensemble and they range from sixth-graders to young adults in college. The group has a seasonal cycle through the school year, giving concerts for the public once in fall, winter and spring each.

Leigh Huddle, a 16-year-old sophomore at Myrtle Beach High, plays the cello. After school last week, she reflected on what being part of a team of musicians means, and how this pastime first hit the right note for her. It started with violin lessons, and a month later, she was consumed by the cello.

Question | What first live musical performance you saw remains etched in your mind, a memory that spurs a smile inside you whenever you play on stage?

Answer | I remember when I told my mom that I wanted to pay the violin. She took me to see the Long Bay Symphony, to see if I really liked it, and it was good. ... The reason I wanted to play ... I came to my mom’s school -- my mom teaches at Myrtle Beach Middle School -- and I got dropped off there. I heard music being played down the hallway, and it was the orchestra teacher from the middle school, and he was playing the violin.

Q. | Does playing in the youth orchestra help you more in getting to know your chosen instrument better or in fulfilling a step toward a career in music, or both?

A. | It’s definitely both. I noticed a dramatic change from the first year I was in the youth orchestra, just how much I grew as a musician. I could see everything was better just playing by myself or playing in a group. ... It was a world of music I had no idea about.

Q. | Performing in concerts for the public, what extra perspective does live music afford you when you, in turn, watch other people perform?

A. | When I’m in the audience or when I’m up playing on stage, I wonder if what we’re playing is having the same effect for the audience as what I feel when I’m down there listening.

Q. | What composers, works or music styles have built their own foundation in your life solely from your extracurricular time with the orchestra?

A. | I think that just playing the cello has exposed me to all sorts of songs and music in the classical genre... and if I had never chosen the cello, I never would have appreciated it like I do now.

Q. | For youth who haven’t picked up an instrument, what’s the greatest reward from playing in an orchestra you would tell them you reap from this extended application of a heartfelt hobby?

A. | It’s just making something really beautiful with people who love it the same way you do.

Q. | In what other ways does the youth orchestra enrich the community?

A. | Sometimes we play in trios or quartets around town. I see children stop and say “Mommy” or “Daddy ... What is that? Can I have one of those?” It just reminds me of myself and how that one person changed my life, and just going to see that one performance changed my life.

Q. | Looking ahead to the concert on Wednesday, what work in the repertoire excites you the most?

A. | I really love the “Carmen” suite, probably because of the story behind it. It’s very interesting. It makes playing it a lot more real.