Noteworthy Accomplishment for 2 Ferndale Musicians: Give

Two student musicians from Ferndale will travel in Europe next summer with the Blue Lake International Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Eighth-grader George Van Der Vennet and sophomore Rachel Arquero are among 400 musicians selected from among 1,700 who applied to be part of the music and cultural education program that takes students across France, Germany and a third yet-to-be-determined country, C&G Newspapers reports.

Stay Connected

• Subscribe to the free daily Ferndale Patch newsletter and news alerts.
• Like Ferndale Patch on Facebook.

Both students attended the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, which was held on a 1,400-acre campus in Michigan’s Manistee National Forest near Muskegon. Arquero has attended the camp for three years, and has applied three times to be part of the orchestra.

“I have always wanted to go to Europe, and ... now I finally made it,” Arquero, who has played violin since she was a fourth-grader, told C&G News. “I was extremely excited because I kept working at it and knew these people were supposed to be the most dedicated and diligent in their practicing, so I felt proud and accomplished to be on their level.”

As a middle schooler, Der Vennet said he was “really, really amazed” that he was selected. He began playing the upright string bass four years. He also plays the tuba in marching band.

In addition to fine tuning their skills as musicians, Arquero and Der Vennet will be exposed to European culture while living with different families.

“I want to come away with a better understanding of their point of view on some of the same issues we deal with in the United States,” Arquero told the newspaper.

The cost to participate is $8,000 each, and both have established online crowdfunding campaigns. You can give below.