Showcasing the talents of string players, RBHS Performing Arts Center hosted both Chamber and Concert Orchestra Wednesday, Oct. 15, offering the audience an evening program laced with ominous tones as a reference to the upcoming holiday of Halloween.

Along with serving as the debut of both orchestras for the school year, this concert was also Steve Mathews’ official introduction as the director of the Concert Orchestra, with the Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jeanne Lambson for the third year straight.

As the band director, Mathews not only has experience conducting bands, but also previously conducted an orchestra in California. During his time in California, Mathews served as an interim conductor for the senior division youth orchestra and when the director went on a sabbatical to Russia, Mathews took over as conductor.

“It’s all still music and it’s just getting the music out of the kids,” Mathews said. “Other than maybe literature and things like that, I don’t think that there’s really a whole lot of difference [between conducting band and orchestra]. Music is music and it’s universal.”

Along with an additional conductor for the Orchestra department, the Chamber Orchestra also experimented with having two students, sophomores Amy Gu and Joanna Yu, participate in orchestra as their EEE Independent Study. Though having played together with the whole orchestra only two times before the performance, Gu says practice sessions with Lambson made playing with the orchestra less nerve-racking.

“We did meet up with the conductor, and we practiced the lines and how everybody else is doing the fingerings, the bowings, and the tempo and stuff that would be required to have a really good orchestra performance,” Gu said. “I really enjoy being in the orchestra, but as time commits, I don’t have all the time to fit in all the classes that I wanted so this was an excellent chance for me to take all my classes and also have time with the orchestra as well.”

With the fall concert opening a much anticipated year for the orchestra department, Lambson has many plans for her Chamber Orchestra, including tackling challenging pieces such as Barber’s Adagio for Strings and preparing for KOMU’s Holiday Taping and the winter concert.

“The kids did amazing, even when we went faster than what I did, we pulled off. I think the adrenaline was working hard and got us all to play fast,” Lambson said. “I think it’s marvelous that we can do what we were doing today. I loved every single piece from the time we started playing it.”

By Alice Yu
Performing after the intermission, the Chamber Orchestra opened their segment with Mozart’s Allegro Vivace from “The Hunt.” This year, the orchestra department consists of two orchestras with a total of 50 string players. Photo by Madelyn Stewart.