Selin Oh, Camerata cellist and senior, packs up her backpack to leave for orchestra class. Oh said she is especially excited to be playing Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 this entire semester.

The CHS performing arts department is preparing for the upcoming fall orchestra concert on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. in the Dale E. Graham Auditorium.

According to director of orchestras Elisabeth Ohly-Davis, students in the various levels of the orchestra program have been working on the pieces to be performed at the concert since the summer “boot camp,” which occurred the week prior to the start of school.

Ohly-Davis said, “Once school started, we’ve mostly been rehearsing in the class setting, and splitting up into smaller groups as needed to address more difficult sections of music.”

Selin Oh, Camerata cellist and senior, said, “(The preparation process) requires us to go home and practice on our own, and then come together to play as an ensemble, but at each of those levels, we need to break the music into its parts, perfect each of those parts, and then put it together.”

Additionally, Ohly-Davis said a highlight of this year’s fall concert will be the performance of the first two movements of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 by the symphony orchestra. She said this performance of the symphony will serve as a predecessor to the rendition of the full piece during the winter orchestra concert.

Oh said, “I really hope that a lot of our newer symphony orchestra members get something memorable out of this experience, because I remember I really enjoyed my own first-concert experience when I was a new member to (symphony orchestra). I also hope that the concert in general strikes a chord in some audience members who just enjoy the music.”  By Adhi Ramkumar

http://www.carmelorchestras.org