Feast of Fiddles! Orchestra Benefit Dinner (OBD) 2025

Every year, the Arcadia High School (AHS) Orchestras hosts a benefit dinner to raise money for the program. This year, the 30th annual Orchestra Benefit Dinner (OBD) was held on March 8th at the Arcadia Masonic Center and featured delightful Scottish and Irish tunes! Guests were captivated by a variety of chamber music pieces and an exciting grand finale at the Feast of Fiddles. 

This year, OBD saw guests from all corners of Arcadia, including Arcadia Mayor Dr. Michael Cao and many Arcadia Unified School District administrators. Many AHS orchestra alumni also came to show their support, including Arcadia Fire Chief Chen Suen, who played violin alongside students for A Scottish Ballade (Annie Laurie) during the grand finale. This event was made even more special by Master of Ceremonies Richard Meyer, a prolific composer whose works include A Keltic Feast, played during the grand finale.

As guests enjoyed a wide selection of food—from fish and chips to cupcakes—they were entertained by chamber music across a range of genres. Chamber pieces included Etudes-Caprices, Op. 18 No. 1 by Henry Wieniawski, Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles, and You’ve Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman from the Pixar movie Toy Story. Student performances continued after dinner with the chamber music showcase. This also included music from many different genres, including video game music, classical compositions, Disney music, and even a Scottish composition. 

One of the many terrific pieces performed was Kingdom Dance by Alan Menken from the hit Disney movie Tangled, which was performed by Concert Orchestra members Jennifer Liu, Ashley Zhang, Ethan Hung, Chloe Zou, and Alyssa Guo. Cellist Chloe Zou remarked that “it was amazing to be able to work together with my friends and create music for everyone to enjoy,” adding that “performing at OBD definitely sounded nerve wracking, but my nervousness faded on stage when we started our piece.” 

Just before the grand finale came a fascinating performance by this year’s guest artist, Craic and Bones, a group devoted to creating traditional Celtic music. The group consists of Dennis Doyle on Celtic harp and vocals, Joyce Pan on the fiddle, John Meador on the hurdy gurdy, and Xinqian Li on the guitar. 

Throughout the evening, there were also many auction items up for sale. In the silent auction, guests could bid on items ranging from gift baskets to music lessons. In between performances, there were also live auctions, with items like front-row tickets to graduation and dinner at the Arcadia Fire Station. But perhaps the most highly contested live auction item was the unique opportunity to conduct the AHS Symphony Orchestra at the Pops Concert, which is coming up this May. In fact, this item was so sought after, not one, but two people ended up winning! Ultimately, the proceeds from the auction sales will go towards trips, instrument maintenance, music purchases, and more, all of which serve to enrich students’ orchestra experience. 

Wrapping up the evening was the OBD grand finale, which never fails to amaze audiences. Featuring 200 musicians from the entire AHS orchestra program, each student worked hard in the weeks leading up to OBD to memorize and master the pieces. Throughout the finale, guests were immersed in a novel “surround sound” experience as student musicians flooded the room. Symphony Orchestra kicked off the finale with Irish Tune from County Derry by Percy Grainger, a slow, emotional Irish melody. Next came Isle of Destiny by Amy Barlowe, an upbeat Irish dance tune, then A Scottish Ballade (Annie Laurie), an expressive piece based on a love poem. Closing out the finale was A Keltic Feast, written by Richard Meyer, who was both the OBD MC and an AHS alum!

Of course, OBD would not be possible without the time and energy of parent volunteers, Tri-M Music Honor Society members, Seniors of Merit at Work (SMW), Orchestra Council, and our hardworking directors, Ms. Chen and Ms. Tu, who spent countless hours planning and setting up this event. Thank you so much to the Arcadia community and everybody who made Feast of Fiddles a huge success! We can’t wait for next year’s 31st Annual OBD on February 21, 2025 at the Arcadia Community Center. We hope you'll join us for Broadway Takes A Bow!