On December 5th, 2024, the orchestras from Highland Middle School joined the LHS orchestras for a night of music in the Butler Lake Auditorium.
This year, the festival featured guest conductor Ms. Natalie Frakes, the orchestra conductor from Niles West High School. The orchestras worked with Ms. Frakes during the school day before putting on this performance.
The concert started with the Highland Middle School Silver Strings, the 6th grade orchestra, playing “Countdown March” by Robert Frost. They were then joined by the all-freshmen Concert Orchestra, which played “Fiddles on Fire” by Mark Williams.
“Orchestra in high school is fun for me because it has lots of cultures and traditions I enjoy being a part of,” said freshman Weitao Huang. “Concert orchestra especially helped me transition from band, playing clarinet, to orchestra.”
Huang’s middle school didn’t have an orchestra, but he did have a background in strings, so the transition was smooth for him.
As the Silver Strings left the stage, the Concert Orchestra played three songs of their own. They started their segment with “Entrance and March of the Guests” from Tanhauser, composed by Richard Wagner. Following this, they played” Rhythmic Snapshots of Christmas”, by Brian Balmages. They ended their set with “Organ Concerto in A Minor” by J.S. Bach, with orchestra conductor Mr. Jeremy Marino playing the organ.
“I really enjoy working with students when they come in as freshmen, ” Marino said. “You come in with more little kid techniques and mannerisms, but as you stick with orchestra, through your junior and senior years, I love seeing that transition, that metamorphosis from little kid to matured musician.”
Next, the Chamber Orchestra,Libertyville’s auditioned orchestra, came out. They played two songs of their own, starting with “Serenade, op. 1” by Samuel Barber and ending their set with “Strange Humors” by John Mackey, featuring Mr. Marino on the bongos.
“I like being in orchestra because of the community and the opportunities it presents in the music world and all the people you get to meet,” said junior cellist Max Holland. Holland recently played in the ILMEA District 7 Orchestra, composed of the best high school musicians in the Chicago suburbs.
Next, the Highland Symphony Orchestra, made up of 7th and 8th graders, came onto the stage, playing “Mabel Creek Overture” by William Harbinson. After this song, the Libertyville Symphony Orchestra joined them and performed the four-movement “Serendipity Suite” by Richard Meyer. Each movement focused on a different section of the orchestra, starting with the violins, followed by the violas, then the cellos, and finally, the basses.
“Being in orchestra throughout the years has been a unique and meaningful experience where I have created lifelong bonds and improved my cognitive abilities beyond just playing beautiful music,” said sophomore Lorin Hsieh. Hsieh plays cello and is in the Symphony Orchestra.
Ending the night, the Libertyville Symphony Orchestra performed three more songs. The first song was the first movement of “The Bartered Bride” by Bedrich Smetana, joined by wind and percussion players from the Symphonic Winds.
Following this, the orchestra played “Concord” from Gloriana, by Benjamin Britten, before ending with Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5”, starting in the middle of movement III and ending with movement IV. They were joined by wind and percussion members from the Wind Ensemble.
“You have this amazing gift to make music, to play with a group, that not many people can do. Why give that away? Take advantage of the opportunities you have, especially at a school like this one,” Marino said, regarding middle schoolers who are considering continuing orchestra in high school.
The orchestras next perform on February 27th in their winter concert, while the next music department performance is the Holiday Music Festival on December 10-11, both in the Butler Lake Auditorium.
