About Orbital
In April of 2018, some students from Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA, performed in a drumline together at BASD Mini-Thon, a local fundraiser for childhood cancer. When realizing that this would be their only performance together as they would be graduating shortly, the original five members of Orbital came together to form the group you are looking at today.
Now, Orbital consists of a team of eleven instrumentalists and other volunteers who join them to create the powerful performances you see today. Orbital is made up of college and high school students who perform and run this group as a hobby and who all have full-time obligations in other aspects of their lives.
Since the creation of Orbital, the group has performed at numerous locations including places like the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the State Theatre in Easton PA, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, alongside the Red Hot Chili Pipers, the Lehigh Valley Zoo, and Musikfest - the largest free music festival in the United States. In 2019, Orbital was the most booked act of Musikfest with twenty three performances.
Meet Orbital
Jack Weikert
// snare
In April of 2018, Jack created the idea for Orbital. Working alongside the others, Jack began to help bring this dream to the reality it is today. In Orbital, Jack primarily plays the snare drum, handles public relations, and writes a large portion of the music/material that Orbital performs. He has been playing percussion instruments since the fourth grade and also plays guitar, piano, and sings.
Jack is currently a student at Bloomsburg University studying Early Childhood Education and Deaf Education with two minors in Special Education and American Sign Language. Jack also teaches pre-school and enjoys volunteering at a local elementary school.
Matt Horvath
// snare
Matt is one of the original five founding members of Orbital. He has been with the group since its creation and puts a considerable amount of his time into writing sets to perform. Matt is an incredibly talented snare player and also occasionally plays the drum set. He has been drumming for five years.
Matt currently attends the Citadel in South Carolina and is looking to pursue a career somewhere in the intelligence field. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and loves a good Italian style meal. Matt also plays the guitar.
Jacob Mello
// snare
Jacob has been with Orbital since the group formed in 2018. One of the founding members, Jacob has been around since the beginning. His main instrument in the group is the snare drum and he has been playing percussion instruments for ten years.
Jacob currently attends Temple University and is studying Environmental science. In the future he plans to work with the EPA dealing with urban effects on environmental systems and practice sustainability. Jacob also designs a portion of the group's merchandise.
Camryn Cobos
// snare
Camryn was a founding member of Orbital and joined the group upon its original creation in 2018. Camryn primarily plays the snare drum but occasionally she takes up the drum set. Camryn has been playing percussion since elementary school.
Currently, Camryn attends Temple University with a major in Health Professions focused on Physical Therapy and is also considering a minor in Music Theory. Camryn is a focused and dedicated lacrosse player and also an active member of the THON communities.
Colin Perry
// bass
Colin joined Orbital in March of 2019. Since then, he has become the primary bass drum player of the group. He is a flexible bass player who is well versed in his instrument. Colin has been drumming for the past 8 years.
Colin currently attends Liberty High School, in the future, Colin is planning to attend Northampton Community College to begin his path in studying Music Theory. Colin is a section leader in the Liberty High School Grenadier Band.
Will Eckert
// snare
Will joined Orbital in the beginning of the 2019 summer season. The youngest member of the group, Will is going into his sophomore year of high school. Will is an incredibly talented snare player and has already proved his drumming promise. He has been playing the snare for seven years.
Currently, Will attends Liberty High School and is a member of the Liberty High School Grenadier Band. In his free time, Will plays baseball and enjoys practicing and improving his percussion skills. He is planning to study Criminal Justice.
Jake Gross
// drumset and bass
Jake became a part of Orbital in the beginning of the 2019 summer season. Jake's talents are not limited to one instrument and he swaps easily between the drum set and the bass to fit the group's needs.
Jake attends Liberty High School and is planning to pursue a major in Business and a minor in Music Theory when he graduates. He wants to pursue a career in music and possible start his own record label one day. Jake would like to pursue music for the foreseeable future but does not let that stop him from partaking in other activities like football.
Jonah Rampulla
// bagpipes and tech
During the summer of 2019, Jonah joined Orbital as both a bagpiper and the head of the tech crew. A talented bagpiper, Jonah also makes sure that each show runs smoothly and assists in both the setup and teardown of each show. Jonah has been playing the bagpipes since 2016.
Jonah graduated from Liberty High School in 2018. In the future, Jonah plans on enlisting in the Marines and possibly furthering his education to become a Music Educator or Music Therapist.
Casey Brong
// bagpipes and tech
Casey became a part of Orbital in July of 2019. Casey works with the tech crew and is also a capable bagpipes player. He works to make sure that every show is something to be proud of, but also performs as a piper within the group. He has been playing the pipes for over five years.
Casey attends East Stroudsburg University and majors in Administration with a focus in finance. In his free time he enjoys spending quality time with family and friends and practicing his pipes.
Elijah Sivick
// bagpipes and tech
Elijah joined Orbital in August of 2019. While he does help with technical aspects of performances, Eli is a strong bagpiper who has been playing for over six years. Eli enjoys performing with his pipes and pushing the instrument past its boundaries.
Eli has been learning musical theory for over ten years. In college, he plans to study Music Composition and Chemical Engineering. He plans to continue playing the pipes in the future and is interested in pursuing oppurtunities with various pipe corps.