By Elena Perri • Posted April 10, 2026

Hours of practice culminated in a performance that showcased the musical talents of Catholic high school students from across the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The annual All-Catholic Orchestra concert, held March 21 at Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford, featured 32 students performing works from composers Richard Wagner, John Williams and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Students from Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia; Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster; Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown; Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield; Father Judge High School for Boys in Philadelphia; Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls in Philadelphia; and Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford participated in the concert.

They were joined by students from private Catholic high schools including Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem; St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia; Merion Mercy Academy in Merion Station; Mount St. Joseph Academy in Flourtown; Nazareth Academy High School in Philadelphia; Sacred Heart Academy in Bryn Mawr; and Villa Joseph Marie High School in Holland.

A unique aspect of this year’s concert was the performance of “Myth of Loralei” composed by Natalie Dolan, a 2019 graduate of Gwynedd Mercy High School in Lower Gwynedd and a member of the All-Catholic Orchestra from 2016 to 2019.

Dolan, now a composer of film, media, and orchestral works, reached out to Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Lauretta Linsalata last summer and asked if the orchestra could perform her piece.

“I was thrilled and I thought, ‘You never know where these kids are going to go,’” said Sister Lauretta, archdiocesan chairperson of the Secondary Visual and Performing Arts Program and High School Music Festival Coordinator. “I’m very proud of her, and I’m hoping her high school is proud of her too.”

Dolan attended the concert and enjoyed the opportunity to hear the students perform her musical composition.

“Being able to sit in the audience and experience it from that perspective was really cool,” she said. “It was nice to watch an orchestra of students and admire their hard work and also be able to say, ‘Oh, I wrote that piece.’”

For Dolan, submitting her composition was a way for her to give back a piece of herself to a group that helped her grow as a musician.

“All-Catholic Orchestra meant a lot to me while I was playing in it,” she said. “Looking back on it, I’m realizing a lot of it contributed to my love of orchestral music and how I learned to write for orchestra.”

Dolan wrote the composition for the orchestra at Gettysburg College, where she majored in music.

“Having been an All-Catholic, I know it’s a pretty talented group of students so I figured they’d be up to the challenge, and they definitely succeeded,” she said.

Students need to audition for the orchestra, and if they are selected, attend a three-day festival under the direction of a guest conductor.

This year’s conductor, Dr. Timothy Dixon from Messiah University, prepared the students for the concert.

Sister Lauretta explained that she has invited Dixon to be the guest conductor several times and attributed the orchestra’s success to his guidance.

“He was wonderful with the students, and he kept concentrating on the difficult parts and making them good,” she said. “They performed beautifully.”

Sister Lauretta, who has helped organize the musical festival for more than 30 years, said the All-Catholic Orchestra experience has tangible benefits for the students.

“Many of them write back and they’ll say, ‘I learned a lot. I am much more confident in my playing,’” she said. “The teachers and the parents will also say this has really boosted their confidence in what they can do.”

The opportunity to perform with a larger group of musicians is another benefit, she explained.

“Some of these students don’t have the experience of playing with a large ensemble, especially the students who play string instruments,” Sister Lauretta said. “There may be two or three strings in their school, but with this music program, they get that experience of being part of a larger ensemble.”

Dolan echoed the positives of playing with other musicians.

“One of the things I love so much about playing in an orchestra is there’s nothing in my experience that compares to being among a group of musicians all creating a piece together,” she said. “Building that community of people working hard to create music together is really important.”

Reflecting on her work with All-Catholic musicians, Sister Lauretta’s message to students remains the same: Keep nurturing your God-given talent.

“Music feeds their souls,” she said. “It gives them something to latch onto that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Music never stops, so I always encourage them to not give it up.”