Morristown Students Named Outstanding Musicians In Morris County

MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Clara Gong and Posey Durling are outstanding orchestra musicians.

Don’t take our word for it, that’s the Mayo Performing Arts Center deeming them as such.

Durling, a seventh-grader at the Peck School in Morristown, and Gong, a junior at Morristown High School, were both honored in February as outstanding orchestra students of the month, accompanied by nine other Morris County students.

Durling was nominated by her teacher, Andrew Lyman, who said:

Posey Durling is a member of our school’s instrumental ensemble. She is a dedicated musician who is the leader of our ensemble. Posey excels in many different instruments, but is most passionate about violin. She has been taking private lessons for years now, and has progressed strongly. She is extremely hard working, dedicated, and passionate about music. She comes prepared to practice, and encourages the other ensemble members to do their best during each rehearsal. Posey is a student that always brightens the room with her enthusiasm, her friendliness, her positive attitude, and strong demeanor. She would gladly accept this honor, and would become one of your biggest young advocates.

Gong was nominated by her teacher Norma Davis, who said:

Clara is a junior at Morristown High School. Clara is a leader in the first violin section of the MHS Orchestra. She is very passionate about music and she plays with feeling and energy in every rehearsal and concert. In addition to the orchestra, Clara performs on the violin with the select String Ensemble at many community and school events. She plays first violin in the Camerata chamber group at school, performs in pit orchestras and in the Delbarton Abbey Orchestra. She is truly a wonderful student who gives so much of herself in her music and to others.

Pictured: Back row: Elizabeth Broder (Mount Olive Middle School), Leslie Chan (Copeland Middle School), Kyle DeCotiis (Jefferson Township High School), Posey Durling (The Peck School), Clara Gong (Morristown High School). Front Row: John Greco (John Hill School), June Sirna (Madison Junior School), Nicholas Vitebsky (Mountain View School), Anna Zagoren (Chatham High School). Not pictured: Leslie Chang, Daniel Wang.

Photo Courtesy: Mayo PAC