Student Highlights
Nature Plus Nurture Creates Gifted Singer
ORION HEAVENS ’29
FOR ORION, MUSIC IS MORE THAN A HOBBY— IT’S A NATURAL TALENT. “There’s a video of Orion as a toddler using a toy screwdriver as a microphone,” says Ann Heavens, Orion’s mother. “He’s been performing since he was a baby.” This year, Orion is expanding his musical horizons as a member of the prestigious Keystone State Boychoir. The choir, which includes nearly 200 members between the ages of 8 and 18, is counted among the finest and most successful community-based boychoir programs in the world. Lower School music teacher Mary Margaret Wilson encouraged Orion’s parents to consider the choir during a parent-teacher conference. “Orion has a keen musical ear,” Wilson explains. “He can hear something once or twice and then retain it, indicating a high musical memory, which can’t be said for everyone. I remember a moment in class two years ago when I heard a student sing with precise pitch accuracy and a pure, natural singing voice—it was beautiful! I looked around and thought, ‘Who is that?’
22 :: Tatnall Today :: Fall/Winter 2020-2021
