In Preparation for the Upcoming Orchestra Concert...

This Sunday, December 11, Lawrenceville’s Philharmonic and Collegium Orchestras will perform in the Edith Memorial Chapel as an early celebration for the holiday season. The concert will start with the chamber orchestra, Collegium Lawrenceville, which will perform pieces. Then, the rest of the orchestra will join to form the Lawrenceville Philharmonic, totaling 75 musicians, performing three pieces. Here are a couple of student musicians’ thoughts on preparing for the concert as they go through the final week of rehearsals!

Raymond Xu ’25, the principal oboist of Collegium, anticipates “showcasing Lawrenceville’s orchestra’s talent” and is “excited for teachers and friends to pull up to the concert.” There are some pieces that will be unfamiliar to many Lawrentians, like Mozart’s sleigh ride, Collegium’s starting piece. Xu finds it “pretty fascinating because not a lot of people have heard it before,” and he is happy to start with an unfamiliar piece that he believes attendees will enjoy. While preparing for the concert, Xu found “rehearsing oboe solos that are in the Collegium pieces” challenging, as having multiple solos was daunting at first. However, he now feels prepared and happy to perform.

Jenny Zhao ’25, assistant principal violist of both the Philharmonic and Collegium, is “looking forward to being able to perform in an orchestra again since it has been a while since [her] last orchestra performance.” As a new III Former, playing in the Chapel for the concert will be a new experience for her. Although Zhao is excited for the concert, she said that it was hard to envision each piece with all the different instrument parts, but now that everyone is attending dress rehearsals, the pieces sound like their final form. When asked what she is most excited for, she answered, “The hard work that everyone has put in to get a chance to shine.”

Arya Vishwakarma ’25 is particularly eager to give “the East Coast premiere of a new work by a new composer,” which Collegium will be playing. When asked if she was nervous, Vishwakarma answered, “my nerves are unbecoming of a seasoned orchestra player, so I’m just denying the fact that I’m nervous…I’m supposed to set an example, so you know what? I’m not nervous.” The other members of the orchestra, with this confident mindset, will pull off a great show. Vishwakarma concluded with these lasting words: “Everyone should come to the orchestra concert. It’ll be the best event of your life.”

The members of the Philharmonic and Collegium Orchestras worked hard for the past three months to prepare for the winter concert! If there are any musicians in your House or you have any friends who will be performing this weekend, be sure to attend the concert to support them! Come for a good time, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the end.