Bright lights illuminate the shadowed stage and musical notes fill the air of the Alan Harvey Theatre, as the jazz and symphonic bands and orchestra present their annual winter concerts.
The orchestra performed with the PMS orchestra on Dec. 8, and the bands performed theirs on Wednesday Dec. 9.
Orchestra teacher Catherine DeVos was excited to show both parents and community members what amazing talent this year’s orchestra has to offer as well as the diligence that had been put forth to make the concert a success.
“The concert culminates all of the work we have done this semester,” DeVos said. “The students have been working extremely hard.”
Principal cellist senior Megan Hong said that in the beginning of this year, she was worried that with all of the freshmen, they were not going to mesh well but was amazed at the way they developed throughout the semester.
Some of the songs performed included a Concerto Grosso by Handel, the English Folk Song Suite by Ralph Vaughan Williams and the first movement of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“It’s really a mix of genres,” DeVos said. “There were both classical songs, and pieces by composers who are still alive today.”
Although DeVos picked almost all of the pieces, she said that the students insisted on playing Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.Completed in Vienna in 1787, and usually involving an ensemble of two violins, cello, viola and double bass, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik means “a little serenade” in German, and is widely known for its complexity and precision.
Not only was the orchestra excited to exemplify their progress, but the band was as well.
The program for the symphonic band concert included Variations on a Korean Folk Song and A Celebration of Spirituals.
“I am most excited to show people the cool fast-paced parts of the variations,” flutist sophomore Eva Hunter said prior to the event. “It has all come together very nicely.”
Although the students performed flawlessly, Hunter said that it wasn’t easy getting to that point when a substantial number of talented seniors, left the group last year.
“It kind of messed up the dynamic in the beginning of the year,” Hunter said.
Like Hong, Hunter said that this year’s freshmen really surprised her and made up for their losses, considering that they usually take a while to adapt to an environment filled with upperclassmen.
“They really integrated well,” Hunter said. “They started to branch out and talk to everyone, which helped us communicate better as a group.”
The music was a departure from their last spring concert, which encompassed modern songs, instead of classics.
“It’s a type of music that not a lot of people are exposed to in Piedmont,” Hunter said. “It was really fun.”