By Anna Matson, staff writer
Kenosha Unified School District’s 54th annual Orchestra Festival took place at Indian Trail High School and Academy on March 5, showcasing the musical talents of more than 1,300 students grades 4 to 12.
This year’s guest conductor was Richard Meyer, a composer and middle school orchestra teacher from Temple City, Calif. He was Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra’s music director for 16 years, conducting performances of theirs in New York, Washington D.C., Vienna, Australia, and Canada.
“It is always a challenge to keep very large groups together, playing with precision,” said Meyer. “The most unpredictable are the younger groups … They have less experience… so, as a conductor, you do your best to prepare them to watch you and to stay together.”
Student musicians spend lot of time rehearsing these pieces with their orchestras, as well as practicing at home.
Noah Schaffrick, first violinist at Indian Trail, said he spent some time outside of rehearsal practicing his part and the orchestra started rehearsing the music in class “after winter break.”
Many band students are selected from the high schools to be a part of the full orchestra songs.
“It’s nice to have another event to play in and more music to practice,” said Chantelle Rose, a senior clarinetist. “It’s weird that it’s so close after Band-O-Rama since we get the music later than the orchestra, but it seems to prepare us for more professional performances.”
Certain band students are able to reflect on the time when they were a part of the orchestra with a string instrument.
“Being a former orchestra kid, it is nice to see how much the event has changed,” said Eric Funderburgh, junior trombonist and former violist. “Getting a band kid’s perspective is rather different. Sometimes I wondered what it would have been like if I stayed in orchestra growing up as a band kid in middle school, and now I finally got the chance to see that.”
The event concluded with all of the orchestras combined performing the piece Millennium, written by the guest conductor.
“Young musicians are the whole reason that I write music, and to hear them playing and enjoying my music is the best feeling I can get as a composer,” said Meyer.
Music helps bring our community together. This event showcases that activity.
“I hope the students learn the value of teamwork and how rewarding it can be playing music with people you don’t even know. Music is such a powerful way to bring people together. It is truly the great unifier,” said Meyer. “I also hope that the younger students were inspired by the older students to continue playing their instruments and advance to that ‘next level’. It will then be their turn to inspire those younger than them.”