Winter Concert I Recap

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On Wednesday, we held Winter Concert I at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in the South End, featuring students in K1-Grade 3.  Performances are central to the music-infused learning process at our school– they serve as powerful reminders to the students of how far they’ve come in only a short time, and how much they can accomplish with consistent hard work, dedication, and perseverance. For many of the young musicians, Wednesday was their first time performing on stage in front of a large audience. The growth of our community was also apparent, as we were standing room only. Despite the pressure, all of the groups showed poise and professionalism beyond their years.

wcc3The concert began with the K1 & K2 Rockstars led by Mr. Cordes and Ms. Plotkin who sang a variety of songs to demonstrate their understanding of musical elements such as articulation and dynamics. Mr. Cordes then conducted the Ellington Orchestra, who performed a jazz tune by Duke Ellington, illustrating their ability to pluck difficult rhythms in unison on their instruments.

During the transition, we were honored to receive a very special gift.  Leland Ko, a very fine high school cellist who worked with small groups of our students in the From the Top residencies this year, decided to use the winnings from a music competition to buy a cello for the school. Leland presented the cello to the Bernstein Orchestra. We are so glad Leland has shared his love of music in so many ways with our students. What an inspiration!

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The Abreu and Gillespie Orchestras then played a number of well-known songs for young musicians, ranging from the Open String DAD song to the more melodic Lightly Row, showing off the progress of their bow and left-hand technique. Lastly, the Bernstein Orchestra ended the concert with the energetically charged pieces, Burst! and Dragonhunter. The Bernstein musicians are the only Conservatory Lab students who have been a part of the 5-year-old El Sistema program from the very beginning, and they played with striking intensity and refined technical control of their instruments.

The passionate applause from the audience throughout the concert was met with the overjoyed smiles from the musicians. It is always inspiring to see these amazing children get the recognition that they so deserve.