The Bridgewater-Raritan  High School Orchestra program served as the host to the second annual Central Jersey Music Educators Association (CJMEA) Festival on February 27.

For the second time, the school was home to a festival where a multitude of nearby schools come together and perform pieces for a diverse audience. Musical judges were also present to score and grade each performance, providing a plaque to each school based on their overall rating.

The competing high schools were Watchung Hills, East Brunswick, South Brunswick and Metuchen High School. While each of these schools presented one orchestra, Bridgewater-Raritan showcased two performances: the Concert Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra.

The event began at 5:30 p.m. with an introduction from Dr. Arvin Gopal, the primary organizer of the event.

The high school’s Concert Orchestra began the evening with three pieces, one of which was a warm-up piece while the other two were evaluated by the judges. With the warm-up being the first movement of “Rikudim” by Jan Van Der Roost De Haske, the other two songs chosen for the competition were “The Barber of Seville Overture” and “Celtic Cannon” composed by Gioachino Rossini and Johann Pachelbel, respectively.

The next two performances were by the Watchung Hills Regional High School Orchestra directed by Tatyana C. Louis-Jacques. The ensemble played the first movement of Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1″ and “Ripples” by Yukiko Nishimura.

Afterward, the East Brunswick High School Chamber Orchestra, under Gopal’s direction, took the stage, performing “Danse Negre” from African Suite, “Op. 35 No. 4” by Coleridge Taylor and the fifth movement of “Serenade in E Major, Op. 22″ by Antonin Dvorak Kalmus.

Once the first three schools performed, the competition broke for a dinner break to allow the musicians to purchase pizza, snacks and other refreshments. Students from different schools had the time to socialize with one another, prompting an opportunity to meet other orchestra students from across the state.

At 7:30 p.m., the performances resumed with the South Brunswick High School Chamber Orchestra, led by director Mark J. Lalumia. The group played “Serenade for Strings, Op. 11″ by Dag Ivar Wirén Kalmus, performing the first, second and fourth movements. 

Next was the Metuchen High School Chamber Orchestra, using “Orange Moon” by Yukiko Nishimura as their warm-up piece. Director Christopher McEwan then conducted the first movement of “Concerto for Two Violins in D minor” by J.S. Bach Peters and “Perseus” by Soon Hee Newbold.

To conclude the event, the Bridgewater-Rartian Symphony Orchestra played two pieces, being the only ensemble with woodwind, brass and percussion players. Under Ms. Hsiao-yu Lin Griggs’s direction, the group played “The Magic Flute Overture” by W.A. Mozart Kalmus and “Romeo and Juliet Overture” by Peter Tchaikovsky. 

The event ended with a final word from the event organizer, Dr. Gopal, and the judges who scored the competition. Representatives from each school then received their plaques with their respective ratings.

With the Bridgewater-Raritan Concert Orchestra receiving scores of 89 and 91, the Symphony Orchestra was evaluated with a score of 91 and 97. Both the Concert Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra received the Gold Rating. 

Anastasia Gatilova, a sophomore violinist in the Symphony Orchestra, looked back on the event as a whole.

“[While] listening to the different ensembles and their selected pieces, I enjoyed hearing how other schools performed,” she said.

The next orchestra event for the high school ensembles will be the orchestra performing at the Festival of the Arts  in the main gym on March 20, along with a spring concert in May.