By: Reid Conner <[email protected]>

For the first time since 2003, the symphony orchestra will be performing at the State ISSMA contest at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday at Warren Central High School. The group has been preparing relentlessly for the contest since its last concert in late February.

ISSMA, short for the Indiana State School Music Association, organizes music events throughout the year, including marching band competitions in the fall, solo and ensemble contest in the winter, and band, choir and orchestra contests at the end of the school year.

“ISSMA brings schools across the state together to showcase the musical talent of band, orchestra and choir,” orchestra teacher Rachel Tookolo said.

There are five orchestras at this school this year. Camerata is a small chamber orchestra that didn’t go to contest this year. The other four orchestras, Symphony, Philharmonic, Concert and Sinfonia all played at ISSMA. Some of this years pieces include “Mambo! From Symphonic Dances from West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein, “Irish Tune from County Derry” by Percy Aldridge Grainger and “Symphony Number Five (Movement V)” by Tchaikovsky.

“The symphony orchestra is playing at the professional level. It’s an extremely difficult level of playing and the students have dedicated countless hours after school and at home,” orchestra director Soo Han said. On top of preparing during class time, the orchestras have been meeting after school and during SRT to practice.

Yifan “Peter” Hua, orchestra member and junior, and the other musicians are no strangers to this level of competition. Although it is Hua’s first time playing with an orchestra at ISSMA, he has participated
in the solo and ensemble competition for five years.

“Most of (the students here) who play at solo and ensemble get gold, with a few silvers,” Hua said. Hua said this type of competitive environment benefits him and the other students musically. “I get a better understanding of how other musicians perform and play together,” he said.

The top eight orchestras from the qualifying rounds that took place in April will play at the state level on Saturday. Qualifiers took place last Friday and Saturday. According to Hua, all four orchestras that competed got a gold medal and gold plaque, which is the highest placement at qualifiers. According to Tookolo, the last time this school played in State, it got third place overall.

“We don’t have to win,” Han said. “What we do have to do is give an amazing performance.”

According to Tookolo, the students are prepared and are in it to give the best performance they are capable of. “If we do that, rankings won’t be as important in the long run,” she said.

On the other hand, Hua said the orchestra is capable of getting first, and hopes to take home another State title for this school’s performing arts program. “We’ve been adding a lot of rehearsals. We’ve added time to Thursday practices and rehearse in SRT. The directors have been preparing us well,” he said.

The actual performance will be evaluated in many ways. According to Han, playing in tune, playing cleanly and together, dynamics, rhythm, playing musically and emotionally and being into the music are all factors that could affect the group’s score. The judging isn’t limited to objective criteria, and judge opinions will affect the outcome.

This performance will be a first time experience for the students in orchestra. “We would appreciate all the support we can get at these performances. It’s going to be a fun concert to attend,” Han said. Reid Conner