Gettysburg Area High School violinist Allegra Dorman has earned a prestigious full scholarship to attend the renowned Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Music Camp in Michigan, where she will study and perform among some of the most talented young musicians in the world.
Dorman, who has studied violin for the past 10 years, will attend the six-week program from June 28 through August 9 after being selected for Interlochen’s National Orchestra Award and Flagship Program, an honor awarded to select students internationally.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve accomplished because it’s at an international level,” Dorman said. “There are incredible faculty members there, and they bring in really big names in music. I’m especially excited for the chamber music opportunities and getting to work with musicians who are just as passionate about music as I am.”
Dorman learned the news while practicing violin at home.
“My dad called me and told me to check my email,” she recalled. “When I saw I had received the full scholarship, I was really excited. My dad was really proud of me. Then I went right back to practicing.”
Admission to Interlochen is highly selective, especially for violinists. Thousands of students apply each year with only a small percentage accepted into the high school program and even fewer earn full scholarships.
In addition to participating in Interlochen’s acclaimed orchestra program, Dorman’s chamber quartet will also have the opportunity to perform for NPR near the end of the summer after weeks of intensive coaching and preparation.
“That was the moment I knew I had to go,” Dorman said. “Getting coached by some of the best chamber musicians and then performing for NPR is an incredible opportunity.”
Music has long been part of Dorman’s life. Inspired by her father Avner Dorman, a composer and music professor at Gettysburg College, she first became interested in violin after attending a dress rehearsal as a child and watching a concertmaster perform.
“I’ve grown more passionate about music as I’ve gotten more serious about it,” she said. “I hope one day I can be like my dad.”
Dorman, who practices daily, balanced the demanding audition process while also preparing music for district performances and other summer program applications. Auditions often required 25 to 30 minutes of memorized repertoire, including concertos, sonatas, scales, etudes, and orchestral excerpts.
Central to Dorman’s musical growth has been her private violin teacher, Peter Sirotin, concertmaster of the Harrisburg Symphony and a professor at Gettysburg College, with whom she has studied for the past seven years.
She credits much of her musical development to the support she received from Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) teachers and programs over the years.
“Mrs. Kriel and the orchestra program have supported me since I was little,” added Dorman. “Performing in choir and band has also helped me become a stronger musician. Everyone here has been really supportive of everything I do.”
Dorman also plays saxophone in band and sings in choir at GAHS.
While many students attending Interlochen come from major metropolitan areas and specialized art programs, Dorman said she is proud to represent Gettysburg.
“I love Gettysburg. It’s a part of me,” she said.
In the future, Dorman hopes to attend a top conservatory and continue performing professionally, with dreams of one day soloing with a major orchestra.
“I want to be in a place where I get to play music every day and connect with others,” she said.
