The top three bands and orchestras came together to form three full orchestra groups that were eligible for Full Orchestra UIL. The students participated in the annual UIL competition on Tuesday, March 6 at the RRISD Performing Arts Center (PAC). Judges listened to the different bands and orchestras play their selected music, followed by a sight reading portion. Judges scored each performance on a one to five scale, one meaning they performed at the highest level.

“We had a concert for this music last week,” Oliver Yu ‘20 said. “Our first performance wasn’t the best it could be, but I’m really confident after all the preparation we put in and I knew that things would go well.”

The students left at different times depending on which band or orchestra they were in. The first full orchestra group to leave was the Concert Orchestra and the Symphonic Band. Their first piece was Old Ironsides, Champion of the Seas by Jeremy Woolstenhulme, followed by Slavonic Dance No. 3 by Antonin Dvorak. Their final piece was Appalachian Morning by Robert Sheldon. The students in this group received all ones.

“I was so happy with our performance,” Varshaa Alexis ‘19 said. “Because of all the hours we put into our music, we successfully got the results we wanted.”

The second full orchestra group to leave was the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Wind Symphony. The first piece they played was Egmont by Beethoven, followed by Masquerade by Aram Khachaturian. The students finished off with Forever Summer by Michael Markowski. These students also received ones.

“Our performance was amazing,” Liam Benner ‘21 said. ”We put in so much work and it really paid off today and I’m so proud of how well we did.”

The final full orchestra group to participate was the Symphony Orchestra and the Wind Ensemble. Their first piece was Symphony No. 9 by Dmitri Shostakovich. Students who didn’t play exited the stage to allow a select few to perform the second piece, Moonlight by Claude Debussy. All students returned to the stage to perform the final piece of the night, Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt by Richard Wagner. These students received ones as well.

“I was so excited after the end of our performance,” Justice Yoo ‘20 said. “We performed so well and the directors had smiles on their faces. It was just a really good moment, and I’m proud of us for putting in so much work to be successful.”