By: MATTIE SPINK
Staff Writer
As a lover of music, I am always looking for opportunities to watch people perform in large ensembles. Lucky for me, and anyone else interested in being an audience member for a concert, in these few upcoming weeks there are plenty of opportunities to watch such ensembles.
April 20th, Visalia Fox Theatre (7:30 pm)
The Fox Theatre will be hosting a concert that features 3 different ensembles: the COS Symphony Orchestra, Junior Symphony, and Junior Strings. This is a bi-annual concert that is meant to demonstrate the musical growth that musicians go through in their time while playing. The younger ensembles go first to show the start of a musical journey, and the COS Symphony goes last to show the potential which that journey holds. This concert will feature two soloists, one on violin and one vocalist, and entry is free.
April 24th, St Mary’s Church (7:00 pm)
Performed by the El Diamante Concert Choir and Advanced Orchestra, St. Mary’s Church will host Franz Schubert’s Mass in G Major. This mass consists of 6 movements and features several soloists throughout the entirety of the mass. Alongside the mass, the Concert Choir will perform Rise Up to Greet the Morning Dawn and Makabongwe U’Jehova. The Advanced Orchestra will be performing Antonio Vivaldi’s L’estro Armonico. Tickets will be sold for $5 at the door or by any students within the choir and orchestra programs.
May 1st, LJ William’s Theatre (7:00 pm)
The El Diamante orchestra program will be hosting its last concert of the year, performing pop music for audience members to enjoy. But more than the pop music, the Advanced Orchestra will also be performing 4 senior solos. A senior solo is a piece of music performed by a player in their senior year of high school, and it is meant to be a final goodbye not only to their high school career but the family that is created in the orchestra program. These solos include Emily Ruby playing Antonio Vivaldi’s Spring, Mia Santeliz playing Friedrich Seitz’s Student Concerto No. 3, Rae Haverstock conducting Trek of the Cosmos (one of their own compositions), and Mattie Spink (me!) playing Matthias Georg Monn’s Cello Concerto in G Minor. There will also be a senior slideshow at this concert, which will show the memories of every senior in the program to wish them all the best and a big farewell. Tickets will be sold for $5 at the door.