With a single wave of a conductor’s baton, magic is brought to the stage. The sounds of splendid string bowing resonated throughout the Cedar Ridge Auditorium for nearly two hours. Orchestra students were able to proudly display their progress and collaboration throughout the concert, and as each piece finished, the audience filled the room with triumphant applause.
On the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 24 the Westwood Orchestra demonstrated their dedication and expertise at their first concert of the school year. For the Philharmonic 8th Block orchestra, their opening composition was Three Sketches- Mvt.II, Whimsy by Don Gillis, a strange but uniquely playful piece.
“My favorite piece that we played was probably [Whimsy],” Philharmonic violinist Taehyun Kim ‘27 said. “I love that piece because it’s so complex. There were so many parts that played different melodies at the same time and it created a new tone and style of music that I [hadn’t] played before with an orchestra, so I feel like it was a great opportunity to play it with my peers.”
Following Philharmonic 8th Block’s performance, Symphony Orchestra enthralled the audience with Allegro moderato ma con fuoco, a string octet by Felix Mendelssohn. Guided by the principal players, the orchestra’s expertise fascinated many, as the student musicians were able to give away a faultless performance without a conductor.
“I really liked [the string octet] because we were able to play it without a conductor,” Orchestra officer and Symphony violist Sophie Liu ‘25 said. “I thought it went the most smoothly out of all of our pieces and it was a really fun experience to train to listen to each other and follow along with each other.”
After Allegro moderato ma con fuoco, Symphony Orchestra followed with Thomas Canning’s Fantasy on a Hymn by Justin Morgan, a slower, more lyrical composition, bringing a refreshing energy for listeners in the audience. Despite minor challenges with adjusting to a different auditorium that they usually don’t perform at, the musicians were able to pull through with their performance.
“My favorite piece was [Fantasy on a Hymn by Justin Morgan] because slow pieces don’t just require technical skill, they require musicality and lots of listening [across the orchestra],” Symphony violinist Darren Han ‘27 said. “The stage is very different from the orchestra room. It’s harder to hear everybody and a lot of us got used to not listening and watching [other sections]. [I think we] just have to watch the conductor more and move together.”
Finally, the evening’s concert closed with Stepping Out by Edward Gregson. The piece was based on a repetitive pattern which dominated the music. A second concept incorporated into the performance was the idea of losing energy and exploding into a wild fugue, which was also present throughout the composition. Stepping Out also featured solo players, which helped create several different moods, tones, and voices throughout the performance.
“My favorite piece [I listened to] was probably [Stepping Out], performed by Symphony Orchestra,” Kim said. “It was fast-paced and dramatic [with] movement. Everything was so put together that I felt like a single instrument playing for each section. [Everything] was flowing and [it was] so beautiful. It was really refreshing to hear that.”
