As some of you may remember, last December, Mr. Richard Harris, Upper School English teacher and Creative Writing Club adviser, Mrs. Sabrina Howard, Director of Orchestras, and I had the pleasure of doing a retrospective look at the “1812 Overture” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which our school orchestra had performed that weekend. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to college obligations, but I was still very happy to be able to participate in whatever way I could. However, this year I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to be on the front lines along with our lovely performers.
First, I clarified with violinist Kristie Shams ‘24 when the concert would take place.“The showcase will be December 11 at 7:00,” Shams said.
The orchestra has curated a list of wonderful works to show off their performance chops. “Some of the pieces that I’m pretty sure we’re playing are ‘Fantasia on a 17th Century Tune’ by Richard A. Stephan, ‘Snowberry’ by Yukiko Nishimura, and ‘Serenade for String Orchestra’ by Norman Leyden,” Shams said. Shams elaborated on the orchestra unlocking new potential with one of their piece’s unique elements. “I definitely think the ‘Serenade for Strings’ is different from what we’ve played in the past, because it’s one of the first few pieces that we’ve played with multiple different movements,” Shams said.
This diversity within a single piece will let our orchestra show off its many expressive talents. “It’s not a difficult piece for our orchestra, but it incorporates different melodies from all of the different movements, and each movement has its own statement to make,” Shams said. Although none of these works is beyond the capabilities of our school orchestra, they still get the chance to display the group’s incredible talent. “These pieces are going to give us a good chance to show off what we have to offer for the orchestra,” Shams said, specifically celebrating the strong cellos and basses. She also credited Howard and Mrs. Laci Wargo, Assistant Orchestra Director, for nurturing the ability of some of the younger students. “They have done an amazing job helping us grow,” Shams said.
The orchestra has an assortment of lovely contemporary and classical tunes that it will prepare for the concert, but it’s the breadth of the chorus’s repertoire that can’t be beat, according to choral member, Sydney Lawrence ‘24. “We are doing everything from big ballads to jazzy holiday tunes,” Lawrence said. Specifically, some fan favorites may show up. “We also have a tune from ‘Frozen’ and a rearrangement of the Spice Girls.” One piece stood out as the most fun, according to Lawrence: “‘Dies Irae,’ one of our hardest and fastest pieces,” Lawrence said. Lawrence said that the introduction Mr. Ryan Harrison, the new Director of Choirs, has opened new horizons for the vocalists. “Mr. Harrison is the best! He has brought so much life and diversity into the choir with what we do and what we sing,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence continued to testify that the chorus has done a great job filling the shoes left empty by the class of 2023. “With the loss of 9 seniors last year, there was a lot of ground to cover to make up for their places in the choir. But we have so many freshmen and underclassmen,” Lawrence said. She continued lauding the inclusion of the younger members of the choir. “This is so important because it shows that the choir has a promising future with a high return of students in high school,” Lawrence said. The numbers are small, but she is not worried. “We may not have the numbers now, but we are so talented and we know there are students coming up that will do choir and make it bigger in the future,” Lawrence said.
Finally, Lawrence gave a final push for our peers to check out the concert. “It will be a great concert with lots of talented singers and varying genres. It is also important to support the arts! It is great to support every student whether they be in athletics, arts, or academics,” Lawrence said.
Finally, Stewart Langley ‘24 gave his perspective on the band’s performance thus far in the year and what to expect in concert. First, he shared some of the seasonal selections the band will play. “We are performing ‘Future of Tomorrow’ by Benjamin Yeo, ‘On a Hymnsong of Phillip Bliss’ by David Holsinger, and several other holiday themed pieces,” Langley said.
He then went on to highlight an unexpected personal favorite. “‘On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss’ is far and away my favorite piece from the concert, which surprised me because of its slow, quiet nature compared to our fun festive songs,” Langley said. Based on his description, a lot of the band would probably agree. “The piece highlights each instrumental group within the band and carries a cadence throughout the song, forming a serene and tranquil atmosphere,” Langley said.
Of course, the music needs to challenge the performers, and Langley discussed one work as being particularly difficult to perform. “‘In Tantum Lux’ by Todd Stalter is our most difficult piece because it isolates instruments with complex melodies with many fractured and moving parts,” Langley said.
Although he discussed these two pieces as superlatives, Langley made sure to emphasize how much of a kick he had gotten out of everything the band has played. “After seven years of band, I can confidently say that this is the first year where I love all of our songs,” Langley said. Furthermore, he said that the repertoire showed the band in many different wonderful settings. “Each song fills a different niche and has a distinct identity, but despite their diversity, I find enjoyment in playing and listening to each piece,” Langley said.
He also added that the band has gotten a lot of support from the flourishing younger performers. “We have witnessed extreme growth over the past two months as the freshmen have further developed their skills and the upperclassmen have helped mentor. It has been a great experience and we can not wait to show off our ability this winter,” Langley said.
Langley makes an appeal to his peers to come to Thies and see the wonderful pieces firsthand. “The variety and diversity in our pieces ensures that there is a song for everyone, and we hope that you can come to appreciate new art and music!” Langley said.
