Willa Henigman

My school district in Long Beach didn’t have a string program, so LIYO was my first experience performing with a full orchestra. A decade later, at my first rehearsal with the Wichita Symphony, the flutist commented that I seemed very relaxed performing Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. I told her it was because I’d played it with my high school youth orchestra! I am still rediscovering pieces introduced to me by Martin Dreiwitz, and I thank LIYO for giving me lots of principal oboe experience at an early age.