By Cristina Damato
The three White Plains High School orchestras delivered their annual winter concert last month to an audience filled with students and family members.
The string orchestra opened the show with a blend of classic and contemporary music, including Kinetic Energy by Larry Clark and Abduction from the Seraglio by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a piece from the German opera of the 1700s. This ensemble, which includes all freshman orchestra students, is directed by Ms. Smulakowski.
Next up was the concert orchestra, a mixed-grade ensemble conducted by Mr. May. They began their segment with Variations on a Ground Bass Theme by Henry Purcell. The piece follows a theme-and-variations structure, with a simple bass line melody that is altered by the upper voices to form the variations. They followed with Lullaby to the Moon by Brian Balmages and Agincourt by Doug Spata.
The symphony orchestra, a mixed-grade, audition-only ensemble, closed out the night, also under the direction of Mr. May. Like the concert orchestra, they played a theme-and-variations piece, Original Theme and Variations by Luise Adolpha Le Beau. For the last two pieces, members of the symphonic band joined in to form a full orchestra, which included wind players and percussion. A notable performance was the Allegretto movement from Beethoven’s 8th Symphony, the penultimate in a series of nine symphonies widely considered some of the most famous works ever written.
Congratulations to all the orchestras! Don’t forget to attend the Midwinter Concert on March 6.
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