Olney teen plays in Youth Symphony fundraiser

Olney High School senior Richard Walp added a dash of “Brilliance” to the Second Annual Cakes and Concertos Gala with a saxophone solo designed to open wallets for the Wichita Falls Youth Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Walp performed “Brilliance” by Ida Gotkovsky for patrons at the Kemp Center for the Arts in Wichita Falls on Feb. 2 in a lineup of young performers that took in money through ticket sales and an auction of ornately decorated cakes. Mr. Walp has been a member of the YSO since freshman year and performs in two or three concerts each year, he said.

Mr. Walp plans to major in music at Midwestern State University in the fall. He described his fundraising performance as “really fun.” “I think it’s really cool that we had the opportunity to play for a big audience by ourselves as opposed to with a big orchestra to really show off our musical talents,” he said. “I had a really good time.”