128 string players supplemented by 21 wind and percussion players in Orchestra 3 performed enthusiastically and musically Saturday evening in the ‘Iolani Lower Gym.
There were a total of 5 ensembles performing some very interesting musical selections, ranging from very simple to rather complicated arrangements. It was very interesting to hear the range of ability progress as the orchestras performed.
There were many surprises, among them 9 bass players being featured with the Lower School Advanced Orchestra and Orchestra 1 in a selection called Walking Basses by Isaac.
Another surprise was English teacher Theresa Falk reading a poem by our 2007 Keables Chair poet Billy Collins, setting the mood for the Orchestra 3 reading of von Suppe’s Poet and Peasant Overture. A very pleasant surprise were the solo passages in Orchestra 2’s performance of Brubaker’s El Toro performed by violinist Blaise Tesoro and cellist Elvina Zhang.
These 6th graders were phenomenal! A pleasant contrast in both volume and sound was the addition of winds and percussion players for the final two numbers by Orchestra 3. The full orchestra sound really provided a bright and fitting climax to a very pleasant evening of music.
