Starting the year off strong, Arcadia Unified School District held their 2023 Fall String Concert at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center, where all four Arcadia High orchestra levels (Premier, String, Concert, and Symphony Orchestra) and the top orchestras from all three middle schools (Dana, First Avenue, and Foothills) performed. This concert is like no other, as it not only shows the musical playing of the AHS Orchestras, but it also showcases the fantastic talent brought by the middle schools.
All of the schools brought their fall spirit and set the stage for a Halloween musical fest, especially with String Orchestra’s Ghost Carnival, a suspenseful and frightening composition by Erik Morales. Violinist Margaret Lin says it was her favorite piece, describing that “it gave [them] the feeling of the Halloween Spirit.” Not only was it a festive piece to move the concert along, but it also came with an accomplishing end-product for Margaret. She explains, “The different types of techniques we used playing this piece gave us a fun challenge. In the end, I feel like we brought out the piece very well.”
Another violinist from String Orchestra, Amy (Silin) Gu recalls, “What I love most about the concert is to perform the music we put effort into for the audience. It’s very exhilarating and touching to be in the spotlight playing the music I have lots of sentiment for.”
Bringing even more Halloween spirit to their performance, Dana Middle School wows the audience with special props to go along with their piece, Professor Wigstein’s Amazing Melody Machine, by Arcadia High School alum Richard Meyer. The funky costume and unique percussion bring the composition to life, as it follows a mad scientist’s wonky adventure with his imperfect lab machines–a memorable performance once again brought annually by Dana.
The annual Fall Concert is the first of many events the Arcadia High School Orchestras present every year. One of the many positives of joining the Performing Arts program is performing on the stage in front of hundreds of audience members. Students, like Margaret and Amy, absolutely love the satisfaction of getting through a challenging piece and shining in the spotlight for their hard work done at school. Stay tuned for the upcoming 2023 Winter Concert!
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