The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Orchestra program held its annual winter concert on December 8 in the auditorium.
Parents and family members came to watch their children perform the pieces they had been preparing since the beginning of the school year.
Four ensembles performed at the concert, almost all of which were conducted under Bridgewater-Raritan orchestra director Ms. Hsiao-Yu Lin Griggs. This included the 9th Grade Orchestra, an ensemble comprised of only 9th grade students; Concert Orchestra, a non-audition orchestra comprised of 10th-12th graders; Symphony Orchestra, an audition-based orchestra comprised of 10th-12th graders; and Piu Vivace, an after-school orchestra club started by Paritosh Bhole in 2023, which Wesley Lin was president of in 2024.
The 9th Grade Orchestra started off the evening, performing: “Coffee” by Almon C. Bock, II; “Hatikvah” arranged by John Leavitt; and “New Chances, New Dances” by Richard Meyer. These pieces, as a part of the program for curriculum ensembles, were rehearsed for hours upon hours by each respective orchestra.
Next, Piu Vivace took the stage to perform “Studio Ghibli Selections” by Joe Hisaishi. This performance consisted of two movements, the first being “The Town that Can See the Sea” and the second titled “Ponyo Main Theme”. This piece was prepared by the ensemble in conjunction with small-group rehearsals. Sophomore Wesley Lin, president of Piu Vivace, conducted the ensemble.
Afterwards, the Concert Orchestra performed four pieces: “New World Symphony” by Antonin Dvorak; “Nutcracker Suite Selections” by Peter Tchaikovsky (including three separate movements); “La Bella Cubana” by Joseph White; and “My Shot” by Lin-Manuel Miranda from the popular play “Hamilton”. The final piece, “My Shot”, showcased the rapping and singing talents of senior Ansh Butani, junior Aditi Dhara and senior Tia Sharma. Senior Madison Bodrogi and sophomore Aaron Persky were on the electric bass while junior Tyler Rapp was on the drum set.
Finally, the Symphony Orchestra performed a total of four songs. This group was slightly different from the others in that various students from the Wind Ensemble, or audition-based band, performed in this group as well. Referred to as Orchestra Winds, this group performed with the Symphony Orchestra for three out of their four pieces.
In order of performance, the Symphony Orchestra performed: the first movement of “Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88” by Antonin Dvorak; the third movement of “Serenade in E Major, Op 22” by Antonin Dvorak; “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson; and “Finale from Symphony No. 5, Op 47” by Dmitri Shostakovich. A combination of strings, piano, percussion, brass and winds brought together a synthesis of riveting music to conclude the night.
The concert was successful and the orchestras were able to showcase their skills and growth from the beginning of the year. Ms. Griggs spoke on her reflection of the concert as a whole.
“The Orchestra students have been working hard to prepare for the Winter Concert. I am so proud of the improvements they made since September! The repertoire for each ensemble was diverse, student-focused, and challenging at the same time. They really made me proud!”, Ms. Griggs said.
Junior Aditi Dhara, one of the solo vocalists for “My Shot” performed by the Concert Orchestra, reflected on her third winter concert as an orchestra student at Bridgewater-Raritan.
“I loved performing ‘My Shot’ with my friends as it’s from one of my favorite musicals. It was amazing to sing on the concert day itself, where all the months of practice finally paid off! I loved just about everything in our concert, but ‘My Shot; will hold a special place in my heart,” she said.
The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Orchestra look towards their next event, which is the eighth grade orchestra day on January 31. Their next official performance is the Central Jersey Music Educators Association (CJMEA) Orchestra Festival in February.
