On March 26th at Shadow Ridge High School, Mr. Richards, the orchestra director at Shadow, presented a pre-festival performance in the Mustang Mountain Theatre, featuring the Saville Middle School’s Advanced Orchestra, Shadow Ridge’s Sinfonia and Chamber Orchestras, and renowned judges that kept score of each orchestra.
This thrilling event was designed to prepare student musicians for upcoming festivals and performances, and to give a taste of performing in high school to the middle school musicians as well.
According to Richards, “The typical pre-festival concert is a chance for students to experience the feeling of going to a festival and competing on a bigger scale. Think about it as if it were an exhibition game. We still do everything we normally do for a festival, without the scores counting for real.”
Each ensemble performed a selection of pieces, demonstrating their progress and hard work to put on an amazing show in front of a live audience.
The pre-festival serves as both a dress rehearsal and an educational experience, allowing students to receive constructive feedback from their peers before they take the stage at the official orchestra festival on April 7th.
Lili Roque, a junior at Shadow Ridge in the school’s Advanced and Chamber Orchestras, states, “I think pre-festivals help students prepare for upcoming festivals because they can learn what it’s like to be on stage playing in front of judges, and they realize how important posture and tone is in order for everything to be perfect for festival.”
One of the key aspects of the pre-festival was the presence of professional judges who listened to each orchestra’s performance and provided detailed constructive critiques to help build the knowledge and skills of each student.
Richards adds, “I think that pre-festival performances are extremely important for many reasons. They offer the students a chance to run the pieces without stopping, they are a big motivator that makes the students concentrate more on the music than in a normal rehearsal, and they allow a chance for the students to feel a sense of accomplishment and team spirit.”
The Advanced Orchestra from Saville Middle School impressed the audience with their technical skill and impressive playing, setting a strong head start for their journey into high school. Shadow Ridge’s Advanced Orchestra followed with a dynamic performance that highlighted their growth over the school year, and to close the event, the Chamber Orchestra delivered a polished and expressive production, demonstrating their high level skills that they have acquired over their years of learning.
