In the Raymond E. Hartfield Performing Arts Center (PAC), the auditorium radiated with feelings of pride, excitement, and just a slight bit of nervousness. All five performing orchestras arrived on the evening of Tuesday, April 15th, to showcase what they’ve been working on for the UIL Evaluation.
The evening was divided into two concerts according to level, with the Camerata Orchestra opening the first concert and the Symphony Orchestra ending the evening. Each orchestra presented three pieces. Although some confusing moments in Dag Wiren’s Serenade for Strings, Op 11, mvt I threw the performers off during the Philharmonic Orchestra’s s performance, the musicians quickly adjusted back on the beat.
“[Many] components didn’t meet [our] expectations during the concert,” Philharmonic Orchestra violinist Diane Kim ‘28 said. “It definitely left us unsatisfied afterwards. [We need to] listen out for other sections, know our counts, and [remember] the corrections we made during class at the concert.”
Despite a rough opening, the musicians found their footing with their final piece, Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite, mvt II and mvt VI, by showcasing their transition skills. The second movement, Pavane, featured mysterious tones, all while keeping the rhythm in line with a waltz-like dance. The sixth movement, Sword Dance, was the complete opposite of Pavane, opening with a stable, bold tone from the cellos.
“My favorite piece was [the Capriol Suite] because of the two contrasting styles of music in the piece,” Kim said. “I especially liked Sword Dance because of how exciting it felt to play and how different it was from most other pieces we’ve gotten to play.”
Closing the evening, the Symphony Orchestra delivered breathtaking music for parents and students to enjoy. Their first piece, Starburst, by Jessie Montgomery, showcased tough, agile notes paired with a fast and complicated rhythm. The talented musicians were able to bring out the various musical colors that were meant to shine.
“A tempo or rhythm fluctuation is the last thing you want when dealing with this piece,” Symphony cellist Jonathan Chow ‘27 said. “Starburst is more rhythmically inclined, so [we couldn’t lose] our focus or else [we’d] lose our pace. Given that we only had a few weeks to learn these pieces, I thought we did pretty amazing.”
Because of the short amount of time, the three full orchestras, Philharmonic 2nd and 8th blocks, and Symphony Orchestra recycled their middle piece from the collaboration with the band. Despite reusing a piece, the Symphony Orchestra still delivered an astounding performance of Thomas Canning’s Fantasy on a Hymn by Justin Morgan.
“The Canning is incredibly musical, so the attention to detail [is more centered] on intonation and tone but also dynamic contrast,” Chow said. “There were a few intonation issues in the Canning and Montgomery, but it wasn’t that noticeable.”
Next week, all five orchestras will take their skills to the stage at the PAC on April 23rd and 24th for the real UIL Evaluation. Until then, the orchestras will continue to rehearse and polish every part of their music.
“I hope we can reflect on our Pre-UIL concert and use it as an opportunity to make necessary corrections,” Kim said. “I’m glad [we can] find our weak spots in our playing so we can work on them before the real evaluation.”
