As winter sports season ends, competition may seem like it’s come to a close; but Olentangy Music has just gotten started. Competitions for band, orchestra and choir have all happened in the past 3 weeks, and the Music department has dominated the stage, orchestra in particular. With 4 departments, Orchestra stands as the largest music program at ‘Tangy, and puts on 3 concerts a year in perfect fashion. As if that wasn’t enough, all of Olentangy’s departments scored 1s at contest this weekend, the highest score possible.
The orchestra competed at contest over 2 days: Feb. 27 and Feb. 28. Chamber performed first, while Sinfonia and Concert did so after. Chamber’s night started off strong with a team dinner, and videos and pictures spotlight the team’s tight bond, both on and off the stage.
“Our tradition is to go to 5 guys after the concert! It is always a super fun time and we always have so many silly pictures and inside jokes after so it brings us closer as a group. It’s definitely one of my favorite parts of orchestra and I look forward to it every year,” Evie Hawk, Orchestra President, said.
It’s not only the team cohesiveness that made pieces come together, however; the orchestra has put in work for months, and work hard to perfect every note.
“The week before we will practice in the theatre to get a feel for how the music sounds in a different space, and we have had guest conductors come in to help us those weeks to get a different perspective on the music” Hawk said.
At contest, orchestras are ranked on a score of 1-5, with 1 as the highest and 5 as the lowest. Chamber Orchestra started off strong with a one, soon to be followed by Concert Orchestra and Sinfonia the next day.
“Contest is special because the auditorium sound quality is phenomenal compared to the one at our school, so the whole sound comes out and we are able to hear things that we haven’t heard before. It is a great opportunity to improve not just in performing after a well rehearsed progam, but also to enhance our sightreading skills by learning to listen and comprehend each other’s parts,” Emma Shih, sophomore and Sinfonia member, said.
Although there are 4 different rotations, the songs played for contest were specific to the third rotation. Favorites included Marche Slav, Poor Wayfaring Stranger, and Echelon. Considering each piece is on average 4 minutes, contests are no small ordeal; dedicated students and judges can give up the entire day. While that can be a lot at times, all involved are grateful for the opportunity.
“Sometimes, it gets exhausting as our time slot could be late at night, early in the morning, or in the afternoon, and it takes a while to wait for the results,” Shih said. However, “I feel excited about attending contest every year because it’s one of the only chances throughout the whole year for our whole orchestra to get beneficial feedback from judges other than Ms. Beck and the other teachers that come by sometimes,” she added.
To see all the orchestra does, check out their Instagram, @olentangyorchestra, and stay tuned for updates on their performances and competitions; you won’t want to miss whatever they do next.
