With animated melodies and a cartoon-inspired theme, the instrumental music department and United Sound club wrapped up the year with their final concert, “That’s All, Folks,” on May 2 in the outdoor amphitheater.
Act I opened with a rendition of “Remember Me” from “Coco,” presented by Concert Band and the mentors and mentees of the United Sound club. United Sound faced a quick turnaround after the initial stage of familiarizing students with sheet music, as the mentees received sheet music in early February, giving them only two and a half months to practice, according to Education Specialist Melody Resendez.
“[The mentors] really worked with the group in individualizing that experience for each [mentee],” Resendez said. “We adapted the visuals and supports based upon the students and their needs.”
Following Act I, the String Orchestra, Concert Orchestra and Concert Band took the stage with a Disney soundtrack compilation. Act II featured the Symphonic Band and Orchestra performing “Palladio,” “Melodious Thunk” and “The Pink Panther Theme,” each connecting easily with students.
“Performing music that the students really connect with and enjoy performing, and performing music that the audience enjoys as well, is a wonderful thing to do at the spring concert in the end of the year,” Instrumental Music Director Matthew Distante said. “Sharing that music and community is one of the best things you can do, and one of the biggest goals of ours in the spring concert cycle.”
After a brief intermission, Wind Ensemble and Philharmonic Orchestra presented Act III, featuring music from the anime “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” “At the Strongholds of En Gedi” and a quartet performance of “Merry-Go Round of Life” by junior Jenny Park and freshman Aubrey Lee on violin, senior Joshua Tan on viola and senior Roy Baek on cello.
“I think our interpretation of the Merry-Go-Round was a lot calmer and less upbeat than the actual version,” Park said. “We wanted to show how musical any piece could be, along with how different the sound of a quartet could be in comparison to an entire ensemble.”
As the sky faded, the concert concluded with “What’s Up at the Symphony” arranged by Jenny Brubaker and Joseph Haydn’s “Farewell Symphony.” In “Farewell Symphony,” seniors rose out of their seats, symbolizing their farewell while leaving behind a glimpse of the ensemble’s future through those who remained, united together by a shared bond of music.
“We’re a community of just people from different backgrounds, different abilities, different cultures that were all showing an appreciation for something, music,” Resendez said. “And we came to it with our different levels, our feelings, our personal experiences, and we made music together, regardless of where we came from or where we started.
