Keeping winter musical traditions alive, on December 17, the EHS orchestra held their annual winter concert. The performance’s positive reception rewarded the Orchestra’s substantial effort. Part of what made the night special was the debut of a student composer and conductor.
Through their chosen pieces, the musicians honored not only published artists in various genres, but also one of their own students: Zachary Crawford ‘27. A member of the school’s marching band, Crawford integrated both the band and orchestra in his piece “Edison Overture,” showcasing not only EHS talent but also EHS pride.
“It’s a dream that came true,” Crawford said. “I’ve been dreaming about it for years now.”
His piece took over a year of work. “I had to hand-write everything,” said Crawford, who also guest conducted his composition. “I feel very proud of the people who played it. I didn’t think high school would be able to play it. The parts I thought were hard were the parts that they did the best. Especially the strings. They all made it really fun bringing music to life.”
Edison High’s orchestra is split into two sections: the Concert Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. The EHS Concert Orchestra is the baseline orchestra group that all members are required to perform in. The Chamber Orchestra is a more challenging subset of the broader Concert Orchestra, comprising members who auditioned and were selected to play their respective sections.
From an 18th-century piece to a modern pop rendition, both ensembles covered an extensive repertoire of holiday music, emphasizing the timeless and nostalgic sentiments of the winter season.
For orchestra students, the winter concert was a unique experience, especially for section leaders and soloists.
“Going into the concert, I was a little nervous,” said Aprant Sahoo ‘26, the viola section leader for the Concert and Chamber Orchestras. “This was not just my first concert as the first chair violist with my first-ever solo, but also my very last winter concert. The dress rehearsal, admittedly, did not go as smoothly as I thought it would, so I was a little worried about the concert.”
Despite the pre-concert nerves, the Concert and Chamber Orchestras performed to the best of their abilities. Although there was mixed feedback from the performers after the concert, most of the musicians felt their overall performance had gone smoothly.
“The concert went well, considering how we were slightly unprepared for one or two of the pieces,” said Kaiqi Yuan ‘28, a Violin 1 player for both the Concert and Chamber Orchestras. “We had some minor mistakes here and there, but I don’t think it was anything too noticeable to the audience, and the performance overall was fairly good in concert and chamber.”
Section leaders were very proud of their section’s performance, which reflected the hard work they put into practicing their repertoire’s more difficult segments.
“It went pretty well, very few mishaps, and an overall wonderful experience,” said Jerry Chu ‘28, the Violin 2 section leader for the Concert and Chamber Orchestras. “I, myself, thought my section performed exquisitely, and all of our practice and hard work really paid off.”
“I’m really proud of the viola section for working hard over these past 3 months and working on the specific things that we worked on in sectionals, as it showed in the concert,” said Sahoo. “I’m excited to work with the violists in both concert and chamber orchestra for the upcoming spring concert, as I can confidently say many big things are coming up.”
Below are the selected pieces for this year’s event:
- “From the Start” by Laufey and Spencer Stewart, arr. Michael Kamuf
- “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arr. Susan C. Brown
- “Daybreak” by Daniel Keeler
- “A Solitary Wish” by Brian Balmages
- “Fezziwig’s Festive Frolic,” arr. Steve Parsons
The EHS Chamber Orchestra performed:
- “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” arr. Larry Moore
- “Adagio Cantabile” from Cinnamon Grove by R. Nathaniel Dett, arr. Dión Morales
- “Edison Overture” by Zachary Crawford ‘27
- “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” arr. Jerry Brubaker
