The Philharmonic Orchestra shared the stage with the Philharmonic Chorus for the first time in the school’s history on Saturday, February 17.
The concert, “Celebrating American Music and Musicians,” featured a total of 142 professional and student musicians. Maestro Lawrence Golan, American music director of the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra, and Denver Philharmonic joined the orchestra as the guest conductor.
The orchestra began the night’s program with American composer Samuel Barber’s most popular and most performed piece, “Adagio for Strings, op.II.” The piece, rich in texture and growing to an intense climax, appeared in the 1986 war film “Platoon.”
The 90-minute performance did not include an intermission. Mr. Fabio Witkowski, artistic director of the concert and head of the visual and performing arts department, said the program was designed to create a “musical crescendo,” with brief pauses built in for more musicians to join the Orchestra on stage after every piece.
Wolfgang Mozart’s “Flute Concerto in G Major, K. 313” followed the first piece. The orchestra welcomed grammy-nominated chamber musician and American flutist Brandon Patrick George for a solo.
The chorus performed above the stage from the second floor of Elfers Hall. The chorus and orchestra performed four Aaron Copland songs: “At the River,” “Promised Land,” “The Little Horses,” and “Zion’s Walls.”
Faculty members including Mr. Abraham Bonn, instructor in mathematics, and Mr. Jack Brown, director of Chorus and instructor in voice, joined the chorus. “Every time you have an orchestra, and you add voices to it, you introduce a heavenly component to the performance,” Mr. Witkowski said.
The orchestra and chorus only started rehearsing together the night before the concert. First soprano Ava Frankel ’24, said, “Every conductor has a different style, so it was very interesting to work with someone other than Mr. Brown. Maestro Golan likes to take shorter pauses and longer fermatas than Mr. Brown, so it’s a good thing we already knew the music really well because that made it easier to adapt.”
Violinist Gracie Beatty ’24 said, “There was an energy in the music wing and among the performers that is far beyond a regular orchestral performance—the rehearsals were exciting, and it is wonderful to work alongside such high-level musicians.”
“I’m really pleased that we can extend the professional experience of the Philharmonic Orchestra to our singers in the chorus. We are trying to open this opportunity to more students,” said Mr. Witkowski said.
The night ended with a performance of the popular John Williams’ “Marion’s Theme & Raider’s March” from the Indiana Jones film series. Maestro Golan introduced Williams as “the greatest film composer to have ever lived,” and put on Indiana Jones’ iconic fedora for the duration of the piece.
Bassoonist Oscar Ji ’24 said, “I really enjoyed Maestro Golan’s surprise—I couldn’t stop smiling until the end!”
The concert ended with a standing ovation from the audience.
