The North Allegheny Golden Strolling Strings are now in their 21st season. Organized by Mrs. Christine Loverti in 1988, the popular performing group is treated as a co-curricular activity and consists of all orchestra students in grades 9-12. These students perform music of all styles, including classical, folk, popular, seasonal, and dance. The students stroll from table to table with as few as 12 instrumentalists to as many as 200. The 2008-2009 season highlights include Pachelbel's "Canon in D," Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty Waltz," and Strauss's "Emperor Waltz," and folk medleys from Italy and Ireland.

Now under the direction of Sarah Lavelle and Roger Whisler, the Golden Strolling Strings have been invited to perform for national conventions with 1000 people in attendance, church dinners, country club parties, weddings, and other school and community functions. In April of 1997, the Golden Strolling Strings performed for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Conference banquet in Monroeville, Pa. In addition, each year the students participate in a yearly trip. They have traveled to locations in Florida, Georgia, New York, Virginia, and Illinois.

The North Allegheny Golden Strolling Strings continues to receive appreciative responses from the community. It has become a major fund raising activity. More importantly than fund raising, strolling while performing has brought these students to a new level of self-confidence, musical leadership and performance security. It also furnishes each player a close experience of communicating directly with an audience through music.

For more information, please contact Sarah Lavelle at (724) 934-7919 or slavelle@northallegheny.org.