Orchestra brings year to close with final show

19+orchestra+were+selected+to+the+All-Region+orchestra+with+a+chance+to+earn+All-State+honors+and+perform+in+San+Antonio+in+February.+

Brian Higgins

19 orchestra were selected to the All-Region orchestra with a chance to earn All-State honors and perform in San Antonio in February.

Melody Tavallaee, Staff Reporter

All five of the schools orchestras will perform together at the spring concert Thursday at 7 p.m. in the auditorium with a special moment of recognition to honor all the seniors in their last high school concert.

“We have a moment where we recognize the seniors and they play two pieces on their own,” orchestra director Julie Blackstock said. “At the end of this concert we’re combining all 170 students to do a grand finale because we wanted to give everybody an opportunity to play together.”

The orchestra has been preparing for the show since early March with daily rehearsals in class and an additional rehearsal with all 170 students to improve their playing skills together.

“Our hopes are that the students will enjoy performing the music and that the audience will enjoy listening to it and enjoy the different pieces that are being played,” Blackstock said. “I’m definitely sad to be seeing them go but we always have the seniors play at the last concert and they have had a couple of weeks of rehearsal on a couple of tunes.”

For seniors, the concert will be a bittersweet experience as they conclude their high school orchestra experience.

“It’s been a very emotional four years of high school and last year of orchestra after 7 years,” senior Nikith Kandunuri said. “There will be many tears between Ms. Blackstock and me, and it’ll be hard to move on from high school into college.”