Whiz Kid: Miller Place Junior an Accomplished Musician

Name: Rourke Feinberg - Age 16

School: Miller Place High School - Grade 11

Accomplishments: An accomplished musician, Rourke plays the violin with the high school's orchestra and string quartet.  His excellence on the violin has earned him selection into the Suffolk County Music Educators' Association (SCMEA) festival, the Long Island String Festival Association (LISFA) and the New York State Council of Administrators for Music Education (NYSCAME) festival.

Only the top musicians in the county are selected to perform at these festivals, based on their scores at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) competitions. In addition to the violin, Rourke plays the piano, mandolin, guitar and bass. He performs with the Feinberg Brothers Bluegrass Band at various venues, including Long Island wineries.

Rourke is on the high honor roll, challenging himself with Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and was the recipient of his high school's Award for Excellence in Orchestra. He is a member of Mock Trial and the National Honor Society and has played on the JV badminton team.

The junior is an active community volunteer, giving his time to the Long Island Voices Orchestra 9/11 Memorial to benefit Long Island veterans and the Mount Sinai School District Memorial Scholarship Concert. He has also volunteered with the MSHS improvisation workshop, teaching high school students how to improvise on their instruments.  He has been a Pickin' in the Pasture Kids band adviser, which is a bluegrass festival on a sheep farm in Lodi. Rourke prides himself on being a conservationist and has volunteered with Trout Unlimited, a conservation organization which protects wild trout and trout streams.

He intends to major in history with the career goal of becoming a Constitutional attorney.