As the orchestra began to play, an energetic, sweet melody filled the theater, captivating the audience members as they listened intently to the harmonious tunes and fast tempo. Impressing the crowd, junior Jeremy Chae and senior Jayden Yeung performed violin solos in Astor Piazzolla’s “The Four Seasons” during the Invierno Del Sur instrumental music concert on Dec. 1 in the theater.

Movements from “The Four Seasons” were unique compared to the orchestra’s usual repertoire, according to Chae. The music’s Spanish influences made the piece exhilarating to perform on stage for Chae. 

“I was excited to play this piece when I heard about it,” Chae said. “It’s taking a very famous and well-loved piece, ‘The Four Seasons,’ and exploring it in a Latin style, which makes it very jazzy and eccentric. Because of this, it allowed us to explore the themes of the song in a really unique way.”

Due to the complexity of the piece, rehearsals were long and tedious but essential to successfully preparing for the concert, according to Yeung. While the soloists devoted an abundance of time to practicing the music daily at school and home, Symphonic Orchestra faced difficulty trying to balance the sound of the soloists and the rest of the orchestra.

“We were really working through all the passages and the difficult parts, but also the interpretation of the piece and the musicality of the piece, to make sure that it created a really memorable and meaningful performance,” Chae said.

When performance day arrived, stepping onto the stage was a nerve-wracking experience for the soloists, according to Chae and Yeung. For Yeung, excitement flowed through his veins the instant he played the first note on his violin. 

“Leading up to the solo, I was pretty nervous, even though I performed millions of times before,” Yeung said. “But the moment I put my fingers on the string, that nervousness just turned into excitement. So, by the end of the piece, my heart was racing, but I was extremely happy because of the fact I was able to perform.”

These soloists learned valuable lessons about being in the spotlight from this memorable experience, continuing to express the emotions of the pieces they play on stage to touch the hearts of the audience, according to Chae.

“It is a scary thing to perform in front of other people, even if it is a very small group of people,” Chae said. “But I think the lesson that I’ve learned is that if you just focus on the music and focus on trying to convey the passion and emotion of the composer of the piece, you can end up having a lot of fun.”