On Wednesday, Nov. 12, the Advanced Ensembles of State High gathered in the Performing Arts Center to showcase their multitude of talents. The concert included six different ensembles: symphonic band, chamber singers, master singers, chamber orchestra, advanced strings and symphony orchestra.
This was the first time that band, orchestra and choir ensembles performed in a combined show, which required some adjustment. Each of the different groups had to transition on and off the stages, tuning various instruments and organizing the chairs and stages around them. Many students were featured in multiple groups, so they had to hurry to get from one group to the next. The event lasted around two hours as well, which is longer than average.
The concert began with the Symphonic Band, led by Paul Leskowitz. They performed four different songs, ranging from “A Light Before Dawn” (Gavin Lendt) to “Third Suite (I.March, II. Waltz, III. Ronda)” (Robert Jagar).
The pieces were complicated, and a total of fifteen different instruments were utilized in the performance. “I have my own little thing going on,” senior Addy Bowser, who is the only Contra Eb Clarinet player in the band, said. “So it’s [a challenge] to follow people. I have to listen to the clarinets and also the bass.”
It takes a lot of skill to not only play the instruments, but also to stay together as a band whenever there are time and tempo changes. But everything came together nicely to carry out near-flawless and moving music.
Next, the Chamber Singers and Master Singers performed, led by Erik Clayton. All together they sang five pieces, including “Full fathom five” from “Three Shakespeare Songs,” “Sing Joyfully,” and concluding with “Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,” which featured soloists Varrah Gramling, Hannah Smith, Jessie Cozine and Finn McCutchen. Due to the number of songs being played, some pieces like “Requiem” had to be cut down for time.
Senior Santino DePalma shared that his favorite thing about being a part of the music program at State High is the community. “I like that I get to make music with people and share in the passion,” DePalma said. It was evident throughout the night the amount of effort that people put into the performance.
To conclude the concert, the three orchestras (Chamber Orchestra, Advanced Strings, and Symphony Orchestra) performed, conducted by Emma Van Allen. Their pieces included “Suite for Strings,” “Adventure on Bainbridge Island,” and “Finlandia.” Evan Zhang, Augustine Clement and Emme Loehr were soloists in a few of the songs.
Senior Chloe Klinger plays in the orchestra as well as being a part of Chamber and Master Singers. She’s also a choir officer, which gives her some responsibilities, like helping out with the freshman groups. “I opened up with the yeoman, because I was captain last year, so I moved the risers around and the chairs and everything,” Klinger said, showing the amount of work that goes into the concerts that people pass over.
Letting students take on leadership roles allows them to help grow the program and teach other students, being both a role model and a teacher to underclassmen.
Like many of her peers, she’s in multiple groups, and each one meets at different times. For example, Master Singers meet on A Days, while Chamber Singers meet on Thursdays for an hour in the evenings. Everyone involved put in a lot of time and commitment in order to come together for one night of music, showing the immense talent that State High has in its music program.
