“We’re going to be losing a lot of talent this year,” said Instrumental Music Director John DaBaldo at the Carlmont High School Chamber Music Night.
Chamber Music Night showcased the abilities of dozens of instrumental music students.
The concert was divided into two parts, separated by an intermission that was filled with snacks and desserts for the audience. Instrumental music students who had volunteered were bussing tables and keeping everything orderly.
In the first half, the repertoire was mainly classical and featured some pieces accompanied by pianist Anna Khaydarova.
Before instermission, other pianists performed pieces from the “Carnival of Venice” to an unnamed student-written piece.
The second half of the concert featured more contemporary music, including “My Heart Will Go On,” a “Lion King” medley, and “A Whole New World.”
There were also two pieces that were student arranged. Junior Brian Cheung arranged a version of “Beautiful Day” by U2 for a cello quartet, and freshman Jenna Williamson arranged a medley of the music from the popular Mario games for xylophones and piano.
Junior Bryan Cheung said, “The cello section has had a tradition for about 10 years to play something together and this year I was the one who arranged it. I picked Beautiful Day because was an easy song to arrange and it was pretty easy for my section to play. I started arranging it in December and then I put it off and I started again in the beginning of February so overall it took three to four weeks to finish it.”
Assistant Music Director Lieven Smart brought together a brass ensemble of 20 students joined by DaBaldo to perform the “Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare” written by Richard Strauss.
They concluded the night with a small group of students playing the jazz song “Caravan” written by Duke Ellington.
Overall, the night showed the many talents of instrumental students and gave them an entertaining way to explore their instrumental abilities.
Junior Casey Armstrong said, “I think the night went pretty well. More people showed up than I expected. As a musician, performing allowed us to get used to playing in front of a crowd in a non-orchestra setting.”
