Violin, viola, cello or string bass players of all ages and abilities are encouraged to take part in “String Jam ‘10,” an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest string ensemble under one roof.

Featuring professional musician Geoffrey Castle on his electric, six-string violin, the April 10 event at the Juanita High School Field House is sponsored by the Redmond Region Orchestra Boosters, a group of parents and students from Redmond High School (RHS), Redmond Junior High (RJH) and Evergreen Junior High (EJH). But you don’t have to be from Redmond to participate.

You do, however, need to pre-register by March 22 and purchase a ticket. Admission for performers is $15; admission for spectators is $10 or $5 for a student or senior. Each performer will get a T-shirt and a chance to maybe set a world record. At least 250 performers are needed, but the more, the merrier.

Funds raised by String Jam ‘10 will benefit orchestra programs in the Lake Washington School District (LWSD), yet the event is “more importantly … a celebration of string playing,” said Paula C. Ferguson, orchestra teacher at RHS and RJH. Her daughter Keira Ferguson teaches orchestra at EJH.

“These days, strings are not just found in symphony orchestras or just fiddling,” Paula commented. “String players can be found performing classical music, fiddle music, Celtic music, jazz, pop and yes, even rock. The young string player has so many more areas to explore these days. The musicianship and techniques required of each of these different genres is extensive. Today’s string player needs to be able to perform Mozart with buoyant energy and Coldplay with the hard-driving energy that makes their music so popular.”

Last year, Paula’s high school students performed at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall.

She said she’d fancied the idea of a strings “play-a-thon” for a while, but preparing for Carnegie last year took precedence. A concert to raise money for the Carnegie trip included classical music but also popular selections like the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida.”

At the end of that concert, any LWSD junior high or high school string player or teacher was invited onstage for a spirited rendition of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.”

Paula recalled, “Everyone had so much fun, on stage as well as in the audience, that I thought setting a world record IS possible and everyone would have a great time doing it.”

At String Jam ‘10, even novice musicians can shine: “We plan on having parts that will be accessible for the less experienced players, as well as parts that will be more interesting for the experienced musician,” Paula said. “We’ll play a very simple song first — to make sure we can stay together — like ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.’ Then I thought we would do the ever-popular Canon in D by Pachelbel. Lastly, we’d like to perform ‘Smoke on the Water’ again as our finale.”

Redmond Region Orchestra Boosters president Mary Bourguignon and others from the organization have been in touch with the Guinness folks to research the proper procedures for a world record attempt.

Every performer who registers will fill out a short questionnaire to be counted in the record attempt. And numbered wristbands will help to tally the numbers of participating players.

“The Guinness record is an amazing way to be able to engage younger kids, to be able to say, ‘I set a Guinness record when I was 10!’ — and also to include parents and community members,” said Bourguignon.

Are you ready to give String Jam ‘10 a whirl?

The schedule for the event on Saturday, April 10 is as follows: doors open at 5 p.m., perfomer check is at 5:30 p.m., performer rehearsal is at 6:15 p.m. and the world record attempt and concert is at 7 p.m.

The Juanita High School Fieldhouse is located at 10601 NE 132nd St. in Kirkland.

For more information or to register, click here.