Music Groups Perform Holiday Concerts
More stories from Jared Wright
Photo By: Emilee Rodriguez
Andrew Kennedy plays the violin in front of a packed house. The orchestra, along with the band, played a holiday concert on December 16, 2014.
On Tuesday December 16, 2014, our very own Judson High School Orchestra hosted their Holiday Concert, the second in the season. The concert went through the different tiers of the Orchestra program, starting with Beginner then Chamber & Symphony, Advanced & Chamber, Concert, and closing the night with the Honors Full Orchestra.
Launching off the evening was the Beginner Orchestra. They sounded amazingly well for only having started playing their instruments in August. They played several recognizable songs including Up On The Housetop and Jingle Bells.
The newly combined Chamber & Symphony Orchestra showed improvement over last year. This may be due to combining and teaching the different instruments separately instead of in one group. They sounded more organized, and jovial songs like Let It Snow were entertaining.
Next, the Advanced Orchestra combined with the Chamber. Their songs weren’t quite as festive as the groups before them, and they sounded tentative and nervous. Part of this may be due to shifting up the instrument during the music, which is a difficult skill to master.
The second highest Orchestra followed them, the Concert Orchestra. They played the slower songs Greensleeves and The Hallelujah Chorus. They sounded extremely professional, even if the songs the songs played were not as joyous. They displayed a good control of dynamics throughout their songs.
Jacob Bissel plays the cello in front of a packed audience. The orchestra, along with the band, played a holiday concert on December 16, 2014.
Ending the evening was the Honor Full Orchestra. The top Honors Orchestra performed with the band, breaking the monotony of the evening by adding brass, woodwinds and percussion. The first song, Symphony No. 1 Opus 21, was conducted by band director Jeffrey Keyes. The brass helped to add a weightier sound to the low notes, while at the same time, the woodwinds helped create a lighter, airier sound. The second song was a medley of popular Christmas songs and provided a fun and enjoyable experience enhanced by the full Orchestra.
Overall, the Orchestra Holiday Concert was a pleasant and festive experience. Despite a few understandable errors, the songs were fun to hear and watch. The Honors Full Orchestra provided a satisfying end to the evening, with a louder and more exciting sound than the other groups.