Music, a timeless characteristic of cultures across the globe that goes as far back as 35,000 years ago. Over the years, the world has witnessed the rise of many musicians, and it is time to acknowledge one of South’s most skilled musicians. Prhust Saleh, a junior and member of South Gwinnett High School’s Orchestra, is an upcoming musician who plays the viola. Prhust’s musical career began in the sixth grade at the age of 12. It was a struggle for Prhust to adapt to this new form of art, however, that did not stop him from mastering this skill. He learned how to play the viola from his middle school teacher, Mrs. Donnaud. Under her wing, Prhust quickly developed a passion for playing the viola.

The time and dedication Prhust has put in since then has really paid off, as his accomplishments continue to tally up. Since his freshman year, Prhust has went to LGPE (large group performance evaluation) with South Gwinnett High School’s advanced Orchestra group. After performing as the lead player of the SGHS Orchestra, Prhust went above and beyond when he became the first chair of the Symphony Group in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestras where he leads the viola section. He composed an original piece called “Al-Shams”, which he performed and won at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia. Prhust is the winner of the Georgia Music Educator’s Association Composition Competition (GMEA). In addition, he auditioned for an esteemed group, All State, which is comprised of the top high school musicians in Georgia and was awarded 9th chair position in this group. Even more impressive, is the fact that he achieved all of this in his junior year. Next year, he has plans to take these talents to even higher levels of recognition.

When asked about what fuels his passion for the viola, Prhust explained that he was following in the footsteps of his older sister, Prusha. His intial interest in coming to high school was to join the band, until he heard of Prusha’s positive experience she had in Orchestra during her time at South, under the direction of Ms. Erma Davis. Convinced that this would be a great program for him aswell, Prhust joined South’s Orchestra. Prhust’s love for the viola is evident in his award winning performances. It is only expected that in his time at South so far, he’d have a most memorable performance. Prhust says, “A favorite performance of mine was my performance of this one song, ‘Allegro Spiritoso’, at the SGHS Orchestra Fall Concert in 2022.” He played a melodic solo in a concerto-style piece. Since Prhust describes himself as “timid” and “introverted”, it made many of his performances feel nervous to be seen; however, he was able to overcome his fears and learn stage comfort from this experience. He says, “I gained publicity, and my skills improved tremendously.” We can expect to see more of Prhust in the spotlight, viola in hand. As he puts it, “I’ll never put down my instrument.”