Fox Chapel Area High School senior Daniel Smith is proof of the adage that hard work pays off.

The Indiana Township resident has been selected to participate in the MENC All-East Orchestra, comprised of only 150 students from 11 states, Washington, D.C. and a few European countries.

The prestigious orchestra will perform in a March 15 concert at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, R.I.

"It's nice to be selected," said Smith, who has played the viola since the third-grade.

Selected based on his seating at last year's All-State Orchestra, Smith is humble in saying "he happened to audition well enough" to make the cut.

But playing well is not all that matters. Students must be recommended by the state president of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association.

Smith and his peers will travel Thursday to Providence for three days of preparation before they perform before thousands at the conference. The selections, Estacio's boisterous "Frenergy," and two movements from Shostakovitch's "Symphony No. 5," are familiar to Smith, which he said is a relief.

"I've actually played that piece (Shostakovitch) before, so that was nice," he said.

It's likely that no arrangement would have stumped Smith, who has practiced the viola at least an hour each day since grade school. For the past few weeks, in preparation of MENC event, he has amped up to two hours.

On weekends, he spends time on stage at Heinz Hall as part of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, with which he performs three concerts a year.

Smith also takes private lessons each week.

Perhaps not a likely choice, the viola came naturally to Smith, who said he chose the instrument after watching his sister on the violin.

"I had that influence, but I wanted to do something different," he said. "I wanted to mix it up a little."

At about age eight, a visit to Hartwood Elementary School by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra hooked Smith on the viola, a bowed string instrument with characteristics of the violin and cello.

He attended PMEA district, regional, and all-state orchestras as a sophomore and a junior.

In addition, Smith has attended the West Virginia University Honors Orchestra.

Despite appearances, classical music isn't Smith's life, although he did have to quit the crew team this year because it didn't leave enough time to practice his music.

He hopes to attend the University of Virginia and study pre-law. While he'll join the school's orchestra, he doesn't plan to pursue it as a career.

"It's just a big hobby," he said.

In his spare time -- though he admits there's not much -- Smith listens to rock and alternative music and plans to join the Ultimate Frisbee Club at the high school.