Every summer, rising juniors and seniors from high schools across Virginia apply to and are selected for the Summer Residential Governor’s Schools: seven state- and locally sponsored residential programs offering students advanced study in agriculture, engineering, mathematics, and more and operated by the Virginia Department of Education. This year, two Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO) students were selected for the Summer Residential Governor’s School for Visual & Performing Arts and Humanities, held at Radford University in western Virginia.
Jordan Mays—also a tubist and singer in the Cosby High School marching band and Chamber Ensemble—first picked up the viola in the sixth grade. Starting middle school early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan made the decision to start viola online, and alongside tuba and voice, the viola stuck.
“[Viola] wasn’t too high, it wasn’t too low. It started right in the middle,” Jordan said. “It was perfect for me.”
Katelyn Luu, who also attends Cosby High School, plays the violin. When the time came for rising sixth graders to pick their middle school electives, her school music teacher showed her class all the different instruments they could learn the following year in middle school, and among a sea of string, woodwind, and brass instruments, violin stood out. After listening to some solo recordings, Katelyn’s teacher let her hold and test a violin, and she was sold.
Five years later, both Jordan and Katelyn are high school juniors and play in the same school ensemble, led by Cosby High School orchestra teacher Mr. Chris Johnston.
The application process for each Summer Residential Governor’s School starts the fall prior. Both Katelyn and Jordan were originally recommended to apply for SRGS by Mr. Johnston, and further nominated by staff from Cosby High School’s gifted education department in a process taking into account not only students’ musical aptitude, but academic success and written essays as well. From all ten high schools across Chesterfield County, a maximum of eleven students total were selected as nominees, including Jordan and Katelyn. Auditions were held following the nomination process and took place virtually in early 2025.
The audition prep process was not entirely dissimilar from auditions Jordan and Katelyn had prepped for in the past—students sight read a brief excerpt and prepared two pieces, one slow and one fast—but the SRGS audition included one additional question: What do your friends say when you’re absent from orchestra rehearsal?
Both Katelyn and Jordan were easily able to answer this question. The pair both have both held leadership roles in their ensembles—Katelyn as concertmaster of the Cosby High School, and Jordan as previous principal viola of Youth Concert Orchestra (YCO).
As a principal musician, your job is to lead your fellow instrumentalists through challenging music while simultaneously following instructions from the conductor and concertmaster, and a concertmaster takes that a step further, providing cues to principal musicians across the entire ensemble. Both jobs require an incredibly high level of musicianship and a certain level of respect from your peers—earned over the years through effective, sincere, and empathetic communication. Principal players aren’t just highly talented, but also “a friend who can help them with [other] issues,” Katelyn said.
To their delight, both Jordan and Katelyn were accepted to the Summer Residential Governor’s School for Visual and Performing Arts. They moved into Radford University in late June, prepared to practice hard for three weeks among the approximately 250 other students also accepted from across the commonwealth of Virginia.
While studying at Radford University, Jordan and Katelyn were immersed fully in the world of classical music. The day kicked off after an early-morning breakfast, starting with daily seminars about careers in music, the collegiate audition process, and more. Following each morning lecture, students launched into their first rehearsals of the day, including chamber ensemble and string orchestra rehearsals, broke for lunch, and returned again for an afternoon of string and symphony orchestra rehearsals. Favorite composers across each ensemble included traditional favorites such as W.A. Mozart, Alexander Borodin, and Antonín Dvořák, as well as contemporary works, such as Harry’s Wondrous World by John Williams. When they weren’t practicing, evenings were spent making new friends and exploring Radford University’s campus.
Jordan’s favorite part of the whole experience? The community he found at SRGS, from his chamber ensembles to the full symphonic orchestra. “Everyone was super nice to each other,” he said. “You could really be yourself.”
Katelyn concurred: “[I loved] playing music with other kids our age that were just as passionate [about music],” she said. “Every time we would go to a practice room, they were all full!”
This school year, both Katelyn and Jordan are juniors at Cosby High School, and the two make music together in countless ways. In addition to performing together in RSYO and Cosby High School’s Chamber Orchestra, Jordan and Katelyn are members of YOP’s brand new Honors Chamber Music program, even playing in the same Beethoven string quartet. Thanks to their summer experiences at SRGS, this will be neither student’s first time playing chamber music—and both are excited for the chance to perform in the same Beethoven quartet this fall.
While neither student plans to major in music in college—Jordan plans to major in chemistry and Katelyn will apply to pre-med programs—both intend to continue studying their instruments in college, with Jordan aiming to join his university’s ensembles and Katelyn considering a minor in music. Both students look back on their time at SRGS and their time in YOP as a deciding factor, and are grateful for the years they’ve spent practicing their instruments and making music.
It’s not always easy making music when you’re juggling schoolwork, extracurriculars, and other responsibilities, Jordan acknowledges, but he’s thankful that he has been able to make music in so many ways during his high school career.
“Always find the time,” Jordan said. “Always try to find a way to [make music]. I do orchestra, I do RSYO and the Honors program, then in school I do marching band and choir. Always try to [fit music] in there somewhere.”
On a similar note, Katelyn encourages her peers to try out for every opportunity they can—SRGS included.
“Audition for [everything], like groups, ensembles, and programs,” Katelyn said. “Even if you don’t think you’re going to make it, you never know! And if you do get in, then it’s a really great experience.”
Katelyn Luu, violin, and Jordan Mays, viola, are both members of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra, conducted by Hae Lee. Their next Youth Orchestra Program performance will be on Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 6:30 pm in the Carpenter Theatre. This performance is free and open to the public. We look forward to seeing you there!
Our monthly Spotlight Series is written by Anna Mitchell, Education & Social Media Coordinator. For inquiries, contact education@richmondsymphony.com.
