The Concerto Concert is an annual concert in the high school auditorium that only features the Concert Orchestra and part of the Wind Symphony. This year it was held on May 19. Concert Orchestra performs two hours worth of music, which includes three main soloists who are extremely talented with vigorous repertoire. The orchestra will also perform other pieces that will impress the audience.
This year, the soloists are seniors Aidan Uglem, Kaitlyn Kockelman and Damien Lehmann. Uglem had prepared a piece called the Sibelius Violin Concerto, which is a famous piece that has been performed by several world-renowned violinists. Hilary Hahn performed this piece at the George Enescu International Festival in Bucharest, the Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, Finland, the Radio France Auditorium in Paris, Los Angeles and at the Tonhalle Zürich in Switzerland. The piece is considered one of the most difficult violin concertos ever written, and Uglem performed it effortlessly.
Kockelman played harp and she performed the Debussy Danses for harp. It is a gorgeous piece that also heavily features the orchestra. Kockelman played the piece with so much expression and beauty. She created a heavenly sound that drew the audience in. The harp brought the orchestra together to create an even more beautiful sound.
Lehmann was featured playing the clarinet. He held an immense amount of talent at his fingertips. He performed the Clarinet Concerto. The piece featured more technical parts of the clarinet than portraying emotion, but it still showcased Lehmann’s talent. He is one of the best clarinet players in the state of Minnesota, so he is worth watching.
Generally, the Concert Orchestra was phenomenal and always had been. They will showcase their talent with Capriccio Espagnol, The Suk Serenade for Strings and Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus. Each one of these pieces displayed different aspects of the orchestra. Capriccio Espagnol has five different movements, each very different. The first movement is technical but also beautiful and soulful. The second movement is slower and more emotional. The tone in this movement would be very impressive to any judge. The third movement is faster and more energetic. It heavily features first chair soloist, Aidan Uglem. The fourth movement features technical parts in every section of the orchestra. Finally, the fifth movement is a rendition of the first movement, but much faster and harder-hitting. This movement is extremely difficult and technical with many different fast-paced and difficult notes.
The Suk Serenade was a lovely romantic piece that took the audience through a story of love. Although it does not have a set storyline, anyone can make it based on how the orchestra plays it. The piece is generally slow but still displays a lot of energy. The Concert Orchestra had not played this piece for long, but they had put in work to make it sound as beautiful as it does.
The last piece they played was Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus. This piece is gorgeous. The Concert Orchestra had played this piece every year because it was a staple. It represented a send-off for the seniors as the piece had so much beauty and emotion throughout it.
Director Ryan Jensen had been with many of these seniors since they were sophomores, and even freshmen.
“It is a happy yet sad moment for me, but at the end of the day, I am really proud of everybody,” Jensen said. Tears were shed by many people in the orchestra, including Jensen.
The Concerto Concert displayed so much emotion. Happy, sad, exciting and exhilarating. The community within the orchestra was obvious as each member sheds a tear or two as the seniors were sent off into the world.
Anyone who enjoyed orchestral pieces would surely enjoy this performance. The Concert Orchestra contained so much talent within it as they were one of the best high school orchestras in the state. The different styles of pieces made the performance unique and could entertain anyone who walks into the auditorium. The Concerto Concert is an annual event that impresses the audience year after year. Come see what the Concert Orchestra puts together at next year’s Concerto Concert.
