Spring Concert 2026!

This year’s Spring Concert was a great success for our orchestras! It showcased the talent of our Premier, String, Concert, and Symphony orchestras, as well as Foothills and First Avenue, through a wide variety of pieces from different eras of music. Each performance brought something new and exciting to the stage, including pieces that combined multiple groups.

The concert opened with engaging performances from the Foothills and First Avenue orchestras, followed by Premier. They began with As you Fly, a unique piece with a section with no time, encouraging the musicians to enter randomly. This builds up a beautiful passage that displays the Butterfly Effect, a concept that small actions can set into motion much larger events, before ending with an exciting violin solo. 

Next, String Orchestra joined Premier on stage and played Rondeau and Pavane. Rondeau, a fun, lighthearted Baroque piece that took the audience back to old English plays, is famous for its feature in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice. Pavane, in contrast, is a slow, haunting piece, portraying a man’s emotions in the face of romance and longing. Shortly after, String played a piece on their own titled Griot’s Dance, an energetic tune telling the story of Griots, or West African musicians and dancers that use songs to tell tales. The concert then took a break to honor the seniors in Premier and String, who were called to the front and read their hilarious superlatives, including “most likely to join a frat” and “most likely to live on Mars”.

Following String was Concert Orchestra, playing an exhilarating piece titled A Tonal Prelude by Richard Chiarappa. The sudden changes between crisp staccato and calmer, lyrical playing was beautifully executed by our musicians, demonstrating how this piece incorporates the warm texture characteristic of German composer Johannes Brahms. After a dramatic chord closed this work, Symphony Orchestra joined them on stage to play their combined piece, String Symphony No. 1 In B Minor. An astounding eleven minutes long, this piece required much focus and stamina from the performers. Transitioning from slow, controlled melodies to a frenzy of spiccato and quick passages, it was an exciting melody that kept the audience guessing with its dramatic drops and increases in dynamics. The last page contained a thrilling Piu Presto section that further increased the tempo, culminating in a show-stopping conclusion. 

The seniors in Concert and Symphony were then also acknowledged with their superlatives, before crowding together in the center of the stage to take a photo. Symphony took the stage with their next few pieces, beginning with III: Andante con moto from Four Novelletten, a high virtuosic melody with a distinct rhythm. Having the characteristics of a waltz, this piece contains a beautiful violin solo, an emotional, searching line that Concertmaster senior Gavin Yang executed skillfully. Next, they played movements I: Ouverture and III: Gavotte from Masques et Bergamasques Op. 112, two vibrant and lively tunes that capture the French upbeat style from the 20th century. Finally, Symphony played Galop final from the 1870 ballet Coppelia for a fast-paced and animated finale, captivating the audience with its lively dance music that imitated dancer’s pique and fouette turns. 

This year's Spring Concert was a fantastic display of our school’s musical skill and our students' hard work! From the heartfelt longing in Andante con moto to the bright lively tunes of Griot’s Dance, this evening’s unique medley of pieces created lasting memories for our audience. The continued tradition of honoring our seniors added special meaning to the night, marking it as one of their final concerts before graduation. The ending applause recognized not only our students’ talent and dedication, but also their undying love for music and commitment to orchestra throughout all their years of high school.