Orchestra Winter Performance Showcases Student Talent

Walking into the performing arts center, a stream of music filled the room with string players who were getting in a few practice notes before the concert.

As the sounds died down, the lights went dim, and a shower of applause rang before the conductor as he took his place on the podium.

The Wando Orchestra performed a variety of winter pieces on Dec. 14 at their annual holiday concert, ranging from holiday carols to symphonies that seemed to tell stories.

The winter concert was filled with different genres of sound. The whole orchestra was accompanied by a guitarist at one point and then the next, a piano could be heard floating under the string notes.

As for the honors orchestra, a particular piece called the “Romanian Folk Dances” has been in the works at the start of the school year. Senior Cosette Geesey enjoys this piece even when it’s split up into sections that are different from one another.

“When you’re going between sections that have completely different styles, it’s difficult to get into the right mindset to transition so quickly,” she said.

The honors orchestra will be competing in the National Orchestra Festival in Atlanta in March. There, the orchestra will be performing their “Romanian Folk Dances” along with another piece.

“It’s a huge honor to be able to go to it, because you actually have to be chosen to compete in it, and we’ll be playing against some top notch groups” Geesey said.

After the winter break, the Wando orchestra will be performing several pre-festival concerts on Feb. 27 and March 1.