By Claire Fagan, Features Editor
For many, the end of April into the beginning of May marks AP-crunch studying time. However, for the majority of River Hill’s performing arts students, these weeks are also special because they hold the final performance of the year. During a jam-packed nine-day span, River Hill hosted its choir concert, band concert, guitar concert, and orchestra concert (in that order). Somehow, the students–and the school’s auditorium–made it through, and many were eager to comment on their performances and support the other performing groups.
The first performance was the choir concert, which took place on Wednesday, April 26th. Junior Bennett Vitek attended the choir performance, and he explains that “the theatrics involved with the choir concert made for a fun viewing experience.” Junior Susan Yoder performed in the concert, and she remarks that a few of the pieces were “missing some of the enthusiasm needed for performing,” but the effort that the choir program put into their concert largely paid off, making it a successful night filled with beautiful music and blue confetti.
Next up: Band on April 28th. Senior Alex Wu participated in multiple groups during the concert, and he comments, “everyone is just so crazy talented. Even if they’re not, they’re just super fun to hang around and they can learn really quickly.” All of the music that the band played on the 28th was new, learned only in the last 6 weeks. This is not always normal, as the choir sang 2 of their assessment pieces in their concert as well. The band’s more constant renewal of music led to a unique concert, with Susan commenting that “highlights included the jazz band and… having a song written and conducted by a student.” Junior Adam Azrieli’s piece, “New Wings,” was a showstopper within the concert, and a perfect example of what River Hill students are capable of accomplishing.
The following week, Guitar performed on Tuesday, May 2nd. Senior Allie Billups, who performed in the concert, comments that the concert was a culmination of practice “since the beginning of the year. I’d say we practiced like ten songs a day every class.” Guitar performs only one solo concert per year, so the music they performed on the 2nd meant that much more to them. Bennett, also a performer in the guitar concert, explains, “The best part about performing was the fun of being on stage in front of a low-stress audience of parents and friends. Everybody was supportive.”
Finally, Orchestra performed on May 4th. Their concert featured a wide variety of music, including a song from La La Land. The last song even featured a solo quintet. Senior Claire Huang, one of the soloists, comments, “We had our own solo parts along with the rest of the orchestra accompanying us, and it was really fun. It was something I’ve never done before. We didn’t have a lot of time to work on it, but it ended up going pretty well.”
Despite these concerts occurring the week before and the week of AP exams, many students explained that the stress didn’t bother them. Susan comments, “Most of my preparing was done in class so it was okay.” Allie adds, “It didn’t really affect me that much because at that point I was like, ‘I either know it or I don’t’ for APs.”
However, Claire has a different opinion. She explains, “It was pretty stressful, I guess, because we kept having people just not be at school or be testing while we were rehearsing during the week of the concert. It was difficult to do.” In addition to the studying commitment necessary outside of school, APs take students out of class time, which can hinder the practice of those students remaining. However, even for those who did experience stress while preparing, River Hill’s performing arts students were able to navigate the obstacles of APs and master their music with the time they had.
This trait of persistence and dedication is unanimous among all River Hill performing arts groups, which helps to strengthen the performing community at RHHS as a whole. Even if they don’t play the same instrument, performing arts students share similar mindsets. Many students, including people interviewed in this article, find themselves joining multiple performing groups or attending multiple concerts in order to support performers who are similar to them. Susan adds, “The best part of performing at River Hill is the sense of community and just being able to see so many talented performers.” In fact, almost everyone interviewed also cited the people as their favorite part of performing. Although this may have been the final jam-packed concert week of the school year, the RHHS performing arts department still has much more to offer, from the upcoming dance concert on May 18th and 19th, to individual group festivals and the band playing at graduation. Despite all of the obstacles that everyday academics and life stressors pose, River Hill students will always find a way to let their talents and creativity shine. Allie shares, “I would just do it all again just to get the experience again,” and many performers likely agree. All of the work was definitely worth it to produce the amazing end result that was Concert Week.