Cardozo’s music department held their Winter Concert in the gymnasium Jan. 18. For some, it was their second show of the year, the first being the Holiday Show in December. However, for many, it was an opportunity for many firsts.
Groups such as Beginner Orchestra made their first debut, giving the audience a wonderful first performance on various string instruments, playing Open String Fiesta by César Avilés and A French Folk Life. The Winter Concert was Concert Band’s first performance of the year as well, and was Junior Nayely Guanuchi’s first time performing on the flute at a school show.
“I’m nervous,” Guanuchi stated. “If I could change one thing about my performance, I would’ve practiced the piece I was less confident in a little more. I kept practicing the one I was comfortable with over and over, and now I’m great at that one… at the cost of not knowing how to play the other one.”
Other students faced similar problem when it came to practicing more than one piece. Mathew He, a sophomore at Cardozo High School, gave a magnificent performance on the piano for the BNCHS chorus while they sang Serenade by Frank Schubert. However, while he was proud of himself for one piece, he found himself struggling on other ones. “I’m proud of myself for Serenade,” he stated. “But I would’ve practiced the other pieces way more if I could.”
Clarinetist Alex Pho of Intermediate Band expressed the same problem when it came to his initial lack of confidence in his own performance, stating that he felt that Intermediate Band didn’t go through the pieces thoroughly enough. “I think we only really got to play one of the pieces from start to finish,” Pho explained before the show. “So I’m really not confident in the other two… so I really wish we could’ve practiced more.”
Despite Pho’s worries, Intermediate Band delivers a powerful performance on all three songs, exceeding expectations.
While various students were nervous about being underprepared, more seasoned musicians had other things to worry about. Anthony Bianco, a senior at Cardozo, had more than one thing to worry about. His job was to play the bongos, the crash symbols, and the toms, and he’s been preparing since October… but what could someone who’s been practicing since the fall be worried about?
“I have a solo part in Pandora..” Bianco stated. “It’s not a terribly hard part, but my stomach drops every time I think about the few seconds it’s just me, myself, and I. I got parts in other songs too, of course, but nothing is making me more nervous than my solo part.”
Although our school hadn’t been able to utilize our auditorium due to it being under construction, the students of the music department had been working as hard as they can to deliver the best show they can. Whether it be under the spotlight on stage, or in the gym, they’d do their very best to shine.
