Hudson Middle and High School Orchestra Performs with Irish Flavor on St. Patrick’s Day

Strains of music with a decidedly Celtic flair filled the Auditorium on March 17, 2011, for the and High School Spring Orchestra Concert.

Some 200 family and friends gathered to listen to the sound of violins, violas, cellos and basses. The seventh grade orchestra began the evening, followed by the eighth grade orchestra and the high school orchestra. With each piece by the seventh and eighth grade orchestras, a student stepped forward to introduce the song and give audience members some historical background.

“I think that introducing the piece definitely does help, especially for people that don’t listen to classical music all that often," said Jack Young, director of the eighth grade and high school orchestras. "In today’s pop world when you’re listening to the radio, most of the time the songs have lyrics and so there’s definitely a story to those songs. With instrumental music, you don’t have words necessarily. It’s a little bit more challenging to figure out what’s going on and why the composer made certain decisions.”

Seventh-grader Annika McGill offered an introduction to A Salty Sailor’s Song by Keith Sharp, explaining the meaning behind the song’s title.

“A sailor was said to be salty after being at sea for many years,” McGill said.

Sophia Concepcion, an eighth-grader, described the historical background of Procession and Dance by George Phillipp Telemann.

“One could probably imagine it being played at a party as important guests are announced,” Concepcion said.

Students from other orchestras waited in the audience for their turn on stage, often keeping time to the music with bows and feet. 

The night was filled with tunes from Beethoven to Percy Grainger, to traditional Irish melodies. After each orchestra finished their selections, Young and seventh grade orchestra director Rachel Knipfer recognized students who had recently participated in the district’s competition.

“I think every group played very well. They’ve all made a ton of progress, especially at the high school level," Young said. "Those were challenging pieces and I’m really proud of how they worked to the best of their ability.”

Young said he didn’t purposely choose music knowing the concert would be held on St. Patrick’s Day.

“Our pieces just happened to have those traits. I’ve always liked [the Russlan and Ludmilla Overture by Mikhail Glinka, arranged by Robert Sieving]. It’s a famous overture that a lot of professional orchestras play,” Young said. “We chose to show the variety of abilities in genres that the eighth grade group is able to play. The Beethoven piece is lower and requires more focus on dynamics and intensity.” 

Young also noted that orchestra and music in general is an important part of a student’s education.

“Music gives students a chance to come away from their normal day-to-day studies. It gives them a chance, as all the fine arts classes do, to express creativity and work towards something as a group. It lets them showcase what they’re learning, which is really fun for them,” Young said.

The next opportunity to see orchestras perform is May 2. The District Orchestra Concert will be held that day at 7 p.m. in the Hudson High School East Gymnasium.