West High’s Concert, Philharmonic and Symphony orchestras arrived at Arganbright Auditorium Feb. 26 for their “Musical Triptychs” concert. The orchestras performed two sets of three pieces each, with Concert and Philharmonic combining for their display.
Concert and Philharmonic took the stage first, performing “(You Are) Amazing” by Brian Balmages, followed by “Eventide” by Chris Pilsner. They rounded out their set with the fourth movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Symphony No. 12 in G Major,” arranged by Sandra Deckow.
Next, Symphony Strings began their half of the performance with “Short Overture for Strings” by Jean Berger. They then performed “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. As the piece features parts for two separate groups, the orchestra split into two, with a nine-student ensemble playing the second part. They finished with the fourth movement of “Four Noveletten” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
The concert was recorded as part of Symphony Strings’ submission to several national competitions, which would offer the opportunity for West’s musicians to travel and perform across the country. These applications require a variety of materials, from photos of the orchestra to past programs to recordings of pieces in different styles.
Orchestra Director Jon Welch stressed the importance of picking pieces that exemplified the orchestra’s talent. “Those pieces are very appropriate for our group and really stretched us,” Welch said. “Last night’s concert was very much about the recordings that we’re going to submit and making sure that we get things that can really wow the folks that are going to listen to it. And I think the kids really stepped up to it.”
