The instruments are finely tuning, patience is running out, and the maestro is preparing to orchestrate another musical masterpiece. Thousand Oaks High School’s fall orchestra concert promises a mesmerizing event that will hook the audience and transport them to a world of jazz, calamity, and horror.
In an interview with Benjamin Roberts we discuss the process of preparing this performance to discover what makes it unique and memorable.
Roberts has been with the music department at Thousand Oaks high school for about many years and describes this year’s fall concert as a diverse program featuring timeless classics, and childhood memories that parents and students are sure to have enjoyed.
“I try to portray different emotions and styles, fast sow, modern and classical.” said Roberts.
This concert will be a rollercoaster of styles and emotions each portrayed differently by both the Camerata and Chamber.
You can expect cinematic classics like the Howl’s Moving Castle theme song, and storytelling classics like the Evil eye and Horrendous heart inspired by the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Roberts considers these songs as “high-level” and admits that playing a string instrument is incredibly difficult. He hopes that the audience will walk away with a new respect for the students on stage.
For over three months now the orchestra has practiced the same songs, the same melody, and tempo for hours on end. The fruits of their efforts and willpower to overcome the unexpected struggles of block schedule are sure to shine throughout the concert.
“Block schedule is totally new, the problem with block schedule is that I only see the orchestra for like three times a week if we’re lucky,” said Roberts.
The block schedule stood as a problem for the orchestra, claiming it gives the students the opportunity to unconsciously forget things on their days off. Nonetheless, Roberts had high hopes for the concert promising it would be a solid performance. It certainly added to the challenge that most students in both Camerate and Chamber were incoming freshmen who are still finding their own musical voice and trying to adapt in a larger ensemble than they were used to. Fortunately, to every problem there is a solution. To solve the ensemble’s ranging skills, Roberts created short practice pieces to focus on the most challenging parts of songs which also allowed for maximum participation. It appears that in orchestra everyone is always growing.
As the countdown continues to speed up with each and every passing day, the orchestra is continuing to perfect every note. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Orchestra’s Fall concert will prove to be undeniably remarkable.
