The theater dims. The stage lights up. Out from behind the curtain come two smiling musicians, flushed with excitement and ready to perform. They begin to play, music filling the theater and captivating the audience.
Just minutes before, the musicians had been feverishly practicing, making the band room resound with clashing tunes produced as they ran through their pieces as many times as possible before the big performance. An excited and nervous buzz had everyone on the edge of their seat, not only in the band room but also in the audience as they settled in, speculating about the show about to unfold.
On March 3, students of Carlmont’s Instrumental Music Program gathered at Chamber Music Night to showcase songs that they have practiced continuously for weeks. The diverse program ranged from Mozart string quartets to an arrangement of House of Gold by Twenty-One Pilots for piano, violin, and ukulele.
Noa Carreras, a sophomore who attended Chamber Music Night in her freshman year, said, “Last year, it was basically all classical music.”
While classical music still dominated, the representation of various groups was certainly a highlight. In the future, hopefully, the variety will draw larger crowds. This year, there were about 250 people in attendance, half of the total capacity of the Performing Arts Center.
Carreras added, “It’s Chamber Music Night! You gotta have variety. The variety [this year] was great.”
Carreras contributed to the diversity by playing in an oboe-trumpet duet, an uncommon combination of instruments, with Alyssa Higdon, a sophomore.
Another noteworthy piece was “The Cello Song,” played as a septet by all the cellos in the symphony orchestra. The piece is a four-minute long arrangement of Bach’s “Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1: Prelude.”
Every year, the cellos in Symphony orchestra get together and perform at this event.
Another tradition of Chamber Music Night is the dessert buffet. Home-made goodies of all sorts, including cookies, brownies, fruit skewers, and even sushi were made available during intermission.
Overall, the event was a success.
“Carlmont has a really good music program,” said Jillian Yong, a senior cellist in the aforementioned cello septet. “Carlmont puts a lot of money and time into their performing arts and I think that shows.”
