Concert Strings, Philharmonic Strings and Symphony Strings performed in Arganbright Auditorium led by Orchestra Director Jon Welch on Feb. 28 at 7:00 p.m. The concert was titled “Music from Around the World”. The orchestras performed works from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Carlos Gardel among others.
“I really liked the pieces, especially the idea of incorporating seniors into the program and highlighting them and spotlighting them in this program because they’ve been with this orchestra for so many years, and it’s a way to show appreciation,” said Anjali Lodh ’25, a symphony violinist.
The concert featured senior soloists Andrew Dong and Yuning Shao during “Bailes Para Orquesta” along with Symphony Strings.
“[The concert] was good. Everyone played well,” Shao said. “ I think [Andrew and I] worked well together; we connected. We took a few AFTs to work together, and we had one extra lesson with Lisa to make it the best it could be.”
The following day, students in Philharmonic Strings and Symphony Strings woke up early in the morning and traveled to the Des Moines West Valley Orchestra Festival where they performed a similar program from the night before. The orchestras played for a panel of judges from the world-renowned Opus 76 Quartet, and received superior ratings, the highest rating possible. Additionally, the orchestras received feedback from the quartet members during a coaching session after their performances. These ratings will help the orchestras’ resume for qualifying for national orchestra festivals in the upcoming school year.
“I think we played better in the festival,” said Andrew Chen ’25, a symphony violinist. “It was definitely different. We don’t often go to other places or have people judge us.”
As the conductor, Welch reflects on the musicians’ performance.
“Both groups played beyond my expectations and I was thrilled to see them represent West High so well,” Welch said. “It’s fun to travel and play in new spaces, especially when we get to play in such great halls as Valley’s Performing Arts Center. The acoustics were outstanding and that was one of the best performances I have had with Symphony Strings in my tenure at West. Everyone was locked in and in the moment.”
Welch notes having the opportunity to play at Valley’s Performing Arts Center is important to the future of West orchestras.
“The performance hall has a recording system in it and we will get a professional recording of our performance,” Welch said. “This can be used to submit for festivals and to share with our community so that everyone can hear the groups’ outstanding performances.”
