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Ash Magalhaes

Orchestra conductor Mr. Jeremy Marino leads the Chamber Orchestra into “Komm Susser Tod,”arranged by Mr. Whitney/Mr. Marino.

On Oct. 12, 2023, various levels of orchestra transformed the main gym into a venue fit for Fright Night, their annual Halloween-themed performance.
The performers, each dressed in a traditional orchestra concert black, played pieces by Mozart, Webber and other famous composers.
The evening began with a handful of the performers carrying in a coffin. On that cue, the audience went quiet as Mr. Adam Gohr, the director of bands, narrated a story of Mozart and his inability to complete a piece before his untimely death. It was explained that, according to legend, Mozart was the only maestro to conduct the piece. Mr. Gohr even went as far saying that the famed composer would exit his coffin to conduct this timeless song. On this cue, Mr. Jeffery Marino, the head instructor for all orchestras, slowly emerged from the coffin and was met with a large round.
The repertoire line-up started with a performance from Concert orchestra, which is primarily made of the freshman class conducted by Mr. Marino. They performed a cursed Mozart piece, Confutatis maledictus from Requiem.This song told a story of suspense through their dramatic beat and drastic dynamic contrast. Furthermore, this orchestra played two other pieces Theme from Symphony No. 1 Mvt. 3 composed by Mahler and Waltz from Masquerade composed by Khachaturian.
Performances like Fright Night are one of the many events enjoyed by Freshman Jonas Skinner, a violin player.
“My experience [in the] LHS orchestra program has been fun,” he said.
The Concert Orchestra even impressed senior Jocelyn Hurh.“My favorite part [of the concert] was watching the freshmen play,” she said.
The next ensemble to participate in Fright Night was Chamber Orchestra. This orchestra, being the highest level at this school, is filled with the best string players at LHSThis set of the concert performs Mozart’s Adagioin C Minor K.546 and Dun’s Eight Colors for String Quartet Mvnt 5 and 8. By using advanced techniques, such as pizziatos, vibaratos, and more, the performers were able to create unique, eerie sounds, which were in theme for the night.
When announcing and describing Tan Dun’s unique Chinese song, Marino said, “[this piece] explores new sounds…[and] pushes kids in new directions”.
For the last section of the concert, members of Chamber Orchestra joined the larger ensemble setup and played with members of Symphony Orchestra. Along with selected members from LHS’ Symphonic Winds and Wind Ensemble, this ensemble performed Overture to the Phantom of the Opera, Komm Susser Tod, and two movements of the ballet music from Beliks, Queen of Sheba.
Senior Amber Ortega, a violinist in Chamber Orchestra, discussed how the last piece they played, Queen of Sheba, which were two movements of the ballet music from Beliks, was a challenge.
“We definitely had to get through a lot of obstacles,” Ortega said.
After this successful performance, every orchestra will shift their focus towards their performance at the Orchestra Festival on November 30. This will include performances from local middle schoolers in addition to all LHS orchestras.