Students and families filled West High’s student commons the evening of Nov. 14 for Cadenza club’s first performance of the year, named Harvest Harmonies. Featuring a variety of small ensemble groups and soloists ranging from woodwind to string instruments, the concert showcased two hours of classical, jazz and fall-themed pieces.
Founded in 2019, Cadenza performs at various musical events throughout the year. As a chamber music group, ensembles generally have one player per musical part. The club organizes several performances throughout the year, raising donations for organizations including the Save The Music Foundation — a national organization dedicated to supporting music education — and the Iowa City Music Auxiliary, which provides funds for musical programs across the Iowa City Community School District.
West’s chamber orchestra — a smaller advanced group of string players under the direction of conductor Jon Welch — also performed at the event. The group usually begins its year with the fall Cadenza concert, a tradition retained this year with the orchestra’s performance of “Salomon: The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” by George Friedrich Händel, featuring a duet by Shanza Sami ’26 and Nathan Chen ’28.
Cadenza will appear next at the annual Vue Rooftop concert in early December. However, many Cadenza members will also participate in other events like the annual All-State Music Festival at the end of the month and other concerts by West’s music programs band, orchestra and choir in mid-December.
