While the viola, a similar instrument to the violin, is sometimes dismissed by many people, it’s warm and unique rich tone catch the attention of Sophie Liu ‘25. With the silver strings under her fingers and countless hours of practice, she soon found herself amongst the many hardworking students of the Westwood Orchestra program. 

“I first started playing viola in fifth grade after seeing the opportunities that were provided for orchestra at Canyon Vista [Middle School],” Liu said. “I thought [the viola] was an underappreciated instrument, and I really liked its sound.”

After staying in the orchestra for all three years of middle school, Liu decided to further advance her skills by continuing in high school. Three years later, she was voted president of the Westwood Orchestra program. 

“As Orchestra President, most of the stuff we do [relates] to social events to promote the orchestra community,” Liu said. “We do a lot of events at the beginning of the year because we want to get to know the other officers well. ”

However, becoming president of a growing community wasn’t easy at first. Liu’s new role was met with challenges, mistakes, and hardships while promoting the program and ensuring the orchestra community was tightly bonded. 

“As orchestra president, I realized that I don’t have to put everything on my shoulders [because] the officer team is there to help lead the rest of the program with me,” Liu said. “[Being] orchestra president is not a position that [shows] I’m above everyone. It’s a position where I’m here to guide everyone and [allow] them to [give back] to the program.”

Even though being in such an important role may seem like a huge responsibility, the power of teamwork, problem-solving, and a growing community helped dilute the workload, further bringing the hardworking musicians together. 

“I’m thankful for the guidance the [orchestra directors] gave us,” Liu said. “They really showed me that it’s not about the leadership position but more about what you do with what you have. [Orchestra director] Mr. Thompson always showed us that it’s about leading by example, not about who’s in charge.”

Inside the spacious room filled with neatly lined rows of chairs during school, members of the orchestra work with the directors and their peers to bring beautiful compositions to life for their concerts. Their hours of hard work and collaboration poured into rehearsals are always displayed on the brightly lit stage. 

“[The most important thing about being part of an orchestra] is working together, not just between sections, but also across [other] sections,” Liu said. “Listening to each other and making sure all the parts fit together, as well as blending [our] sound within [our own] section to make sure we produce the best quality sounds.”

With a strong team of representatives and officers, the orchestra program has only grown bigger and more close-knit. The socials created from early Friday officer meetings show the passion and interest in music and collaboration shared by students across any orchestra level. The diligently planned events outside of school promote a friendly and fun environment between individuals. 

“I’m most proud of the community that we’ve been able to build within the Westwood Orchestra,” Liu said. “I think this environment is definitely a lot bigger, but also [more] closely knit than the one we had in middle school. The way we work together to create such high-level music is something that I’m really proud of.”