Oak Ridge High School Orchestra

The Oak Ridge High School Orchestra was founded in the early 1970s, by Edgar Meyer, a well-known area bass player and music educator. His son is the famous bass player, Edgar Meyer Jr., who grew up in Oak Ridge, playing in the Orchestra program. Edgar Meyer Sr. founded an orchestra program in Oak Ridge, starting students in 4^th grade, and continuing through 12^th grade.  After a short illness, he died in 1988. Jenifer van Tol was then hired in 1989 to continue the program in the Oak Ridge Schools.  The High School Orchestra consisted of 18 players, and since then has grown, and presently includes 164 string players in grades 9 - 12.

The orchestra has traveled in recent years and successfully competed in string orchestra competitions in New York, Orlando, Florida, Williamsburg, Virginia, and New Orleans. In March 2008, 140 members of the orchestra performed in Avery Fischer Hall in Lincoln Center in New York City to compete for the National Orchestra Cup. Only six orchestras in the country were invited to this prestigious event. In 2000 the Orchestra was chosen to represent Tennessee in a National Festival of States in Washington, DC. As the representative of Tennessee, the ORHS Orchestra presented a concert at 3 venues in Washington.  In the past several years the orchestra has participated in Heritage Music Festivals, and won a superior rating and a Gold Award at each competition. Over the past few years, around one third of the players in the All-East Tennessee Orchestra have been from ORHS Orchestra.   Anywhere from 8 to 13 players have been chosen to participate in the Tennessee All State Orchestra.  City wide, the orchestra program now employs 4 teachers, and includes 550 students in grades 4 - 12.

Jenifer van Tol grew up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She began playing violin at the age of ten. She was a member of the Oak Ridge Symphony, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, All-East Orchestra, All-State Orchestra, and attended the Sewanee Summer Music Center. She then attended Indiana University where she majored in music and minored in German. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 1969.  After spending her senior year in Hamburg, Germany, she completed her studies at Hamburg University and the Hamburg Conservatory of Music.  She graduated from there in 1971 with the First and Second State Exams as a Gymnasium Teacher in Music and English. She was also a certified private violin teacher. She taught music, violin, and English in Hamburg. Mrs. van Tol also performed with a Baroque Music Ensemble and conducted a Youth Orchestra until 1981 when she returned to Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  After returning to Tennessee, she taught privately and played with the Knoxville Symphony and Oak Ridge Symphony. She served as concertmaster of the Oak Ridge Symphony from 1987-1991. When a teaching position in the Oak Ridge School System became available in 1987, she became a part-time teacher where she worked with students in 4th-9th grade.  In 1989 after the death of Edgar Meyer, she became the Director of the Oak Ridge High School Orchestra and a full time teacher in the school system. At that time, the ORHS Orchestra had 18 students. In the ensuing years under her directorship, the orchestra has grown to include 164 students.

In addition, Ms. Van Tol served in 2004-2005 as State President of the American String Teacher's Association. She has been awarded several Outstanding Teacher Awards by the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts and is also listed in "Who's Who in America's Teachers and Educators". In 2007 she was inducted into the National Honor Roll's Outstanding American Teachers.