Annual holiday orchestra concert

By Kristi Lambert

Many have found that listening to Christmas music, shopping for gifts or observing nativities scenes are fun ways to bring in the holiday season. At Logan High School, the strings are tuned and the brass have warmed up as members of Logan High School’s orchestra are ready to do just that. On Wednesday, LHS musicians will play in the annual Holiday Orchestra Concert, which will take place in Logan High School’s auditorium.

“There’s a lot of Christmas spirit and it will be fun and lively,” said orchestra member Savannah James.

“It’s really fun,” said senior violinist Katie Francis. “It’s the best way to celebrate the season for sure.”

After a successful concert in October, orchestra members began working on various pieces for the concert with the help of their director, Peggy Wheeler. This is Wheeler’s 31^st year of teaching and her second year with LHS.

“I want each group to work up to their level and at this point they are doing that,” Wheeler said. “I program music that is appropriate for each orchestra. The goal is for each orchestra to perform on that level…they’ll do well.”

There are three main orchestras at LHS. The Concert Orchestra, comprised of freshmen, the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra. Students are admitted into the Chamber Orchestra by audition only.  

Francis is a member of the Chamber Orchestra and has played the violin since she was nine years old.

“I’m excited. It is fun to show-off what we’ve been working on. Once you’ve become passionate about the things you’ve been playing, it’s not such a stress to perform,” Francis said. “It’s like once you get to concert time, it’s a party.”

James is a sophomore who also plays the violin. She is a first chair violinist for the Philharmonic Orchestra and has been playing since she was in fourth grade.

“I’m very excited for the concert. It’s supposed to be a good one. There’s just going to be a lot of different pieces,” James said. “This Christmas concert is the best one of the year.”

James will play one of her favorites, Leroy Anderson's, “A Christmas Festival” in the Symphonic Orchestra, which is a combination of the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Wind Ensemble.

Chamber Orchestra members have been working on Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3” all year and plan to perform it at their final concert in the spring. However, they will also play it in the concert on Wednesday.

“It will kind of be to test out the Brandenburg. We’ve been working on it all year and it has taken a lot of patience. You have to put trust in the conductor,” Francis said.

The concert will last about an hour. The orchestra will also perform “Postcards from Russia,” “Jesu,” “Joy of Man's Desiring,” “Festive Sounds of Hanukkah” and various songs from “Handel's Messiah.”

“It’s been a trick getting it together fast enough, because a lot of the players are involved with a lot of different things,” said Francis, who just finished performing in the school musical a few weeks ago.

Wheeler said that the Holiday Orchestra Concert has been a tradition for more than 30 years and gives the community an opportunity “to hear an enjoyable and well-played concert of some of the standard and best holiday music.”