SILER CITY, N.C. — Talented high school musicians enrolled in Chatham County Schools may register now to audition for the pit orchestra performing at this spring's North Carolina school premiere of “Frozen: The Broadway Musical.”

The ensemble blends professional musicians, music teachers and high school students — all associated with Chatham County Schools — for three public performances of the Broadway musical on April 19 and 20 at 7 p.m. and April 21 at 3 p.m. at the Jordan-Matthews High School Auditorium in Siler City.

Auditions will be held on January 17 and 18, from 5 to 6 p.m., in the Jordan-Matthews High School band room, and will include sight-reading excerpts from the musical.

Musicians are being selected to fill orchestra vacancies of: Flute/Piccolo, Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Bassoon, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Bass Trombone/Tuba and Guitar. Students may audition on more than one instrument and some musicians may play more than one instrument in the musical.

The audition registration site is bit.ly/frozenorchestra.

Student musicians selected for the orchestra will be provided a rehearsal schedule. They and their parents must sign a performance agreement to participate.

Jordan-Matthews was selected to present the statewide premiere of “Frozen” in a nationwide competition sponsored by Educational Theatre Association, Disney Theatrical Group and Music Theatre International. Centering on the theme “Love Is An Open Door,” the competition was designed to promote inclusion and outreach in high school theater programs. Part of that outreach is involving students from other public schools — including younger actors performing as Young Anna, Young Elsa and the Summer and Snowflakes Dance Chorus.

Zachary D. Wills, a music educator currently teaching general music and band at Silk Hope School, is the production's orchestra pit director. He has served in the Marine Corps bands as an instrumentalist and small ensemble leader for 12 years, and has taught music for more than two decades to students from kindergarten through graduate school. He is a doctoral candidate in music education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Several free community events associated with the production will be held this winter and into April. One major event is bilingual “Frozen Storytime,” where dual-language high school students portray Princess Elsa, Olaf and other beloved characters from “Frozen: The Broadway Musical.” After reading “Disney Frozen II” to children in Spanish and English, the high school students talk with the children about the story and acting before giving each a bilingual story book of their own to take home.

Bilingual “Frozen Storytime” is being offered to all public school preschoolers in partnership with Chatham County Schools and to kindergarteners at four public schools that eventually feed into Jordan-Matthews High School or have a dual-language program — North Chatham Elementary, Siler City Elementary, Silk Hope School and Virginia Cross Elementary — thanks to a grant from the Chatham Education Foundation.

Other community events will be announced soon on JMArts social media and listed on the web page dedicated to the “Frozen” production at jmarts.org/frozen.

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