On Dec. 12, the RBHS chamber and concert orchestras will take center stage for the second time, but without the additional performances of the RBHS choirs. The orchestra concert will be held in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at 7 p.m. and the doors will be open at 6:45 p.m. Admission is free and concert programs will be provided at the PAC door entrances.
The hour-long concert will feature a broad range of music, RBHS Orchestra Director Alison Schmidt said.
“There is going to be some classical music, some holiday music and some modern pieces,” Schmidt said. “The concert was originally supposed to be an overture themed concert, but now it will feature a mix of holiday songs and modern pieces as well.”
Along with Schmidt, sophomore principal cellist Samra Karabegovic looks forward towards performing a great concert for the friends and family who will be in attendance.
“I am most looking forward to getting into ‘the zone’ while playing at the concert,” Karabegovic said. “At that point, after so much practice, you don’t even have to think about what you’re doing anymore—everything just feels right. The rhythms, the dynamics, and every movement of the bow all just works. It’s not something I get to experience more than once every couple months, but I love it every time I get the chance to.”
Along with this, Karabegovic can’t wait to play “City of Steel”, a piece which the concert orchestra has put the most time and effort into. Karabegovic said the piece was originally meant for the first fall concert of the school year, but the concert orchestra wasn’t able to get it together in time.
“Now that it’s nearly perfected,” Karabegovic said. “I can’t wait to play it at the concert and finally let the audience see the results of all of our effort.”
Principal second violinist junior Zain Ibdah also looks forward to performing in the concert, as it is a chance for both both orchestras to show off what they’ve been working on. Ibdah encourages people to come to the concert as it shows a lot of support for the orchestra program. He feels this encourages the musicians to continue practicing and refining themselves.
“I look forward to the solo I get to play with the three other first chair [players] in [the piece] A Solitary Wish,” Ibdah said. “Ive practiced the pieces at home for a [combined] couple hours along with the practice we get in class, and I certainly hope my hard work [and] everyone else’s pays off.”
Schmidt heavily agrees with Ibdah on the idea of attracting a decent sized audience to the concert as a reward for the concert and chamber orchestras. She says there was so much practice and effort going in to prepare for the concert, and she hopes an audience can show up to hear the product of the effort from all of the students.
“The music is intense and required a lot of hard work honestly,” Schmidt said. “I would like for the students to have an audience so they can show the final product of their work.”