The DeKalb High School Orchestras have a long standing tradition of excellence. Started in the 1960’s, the program really developed and expanded under the tutelage of Arthur Montzka during the 1970s to early 90s. The orchestras have continued under the leadership of Karen Meikle, Christopher Wild, Allison Liska and current director, Sheila Felder. Today, the program has five large ensembles (Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia, Concert Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and String Band), plus a number of smaller ensembles, including the DHS Black Box Quartet. The DeKalb Orchestras have been recognized for their excellence with Heritage Music Festival Gold Medals, numerous IHSA Division I Superior awards, Music in the Parks Superior ratings and lots of Illinois All-State Musicians. Performance invitations include the ILMEA All-State Conference, Great Lakes Music Festival in Indiana, the University of Iowa Orchestra Clinic and the ILMEA Orchestra Festival. The DHS Orchestras have toured and performed in New Orleans, Nashville, Atlanta and St. Louis. Recent invitations include a performance at the Field Museum in Chicago and a performance tour of Prague and Pilsen, Czech Republic in 2021. The DHS Black Box String Quartet and the F119 Quartet have both received numerous first place awards at Solo & Ensemble Contest and have been selected to participate in the NIU Chamber Workshop with the Avalon Quartet for the past five years. The Black Box Quartet recently performed with the ABBA Show at the Egyptian Theater.
