Winter concert brings performance hall alive

By Aydan Prime,
Bluedevilhub.com Staff–

The Richard Brunelle Performance Hall came alive once again this week, hosting the Davis High Orchestras’ Winter Concert on Dec. 11.

The evening began with a strings quartet, introduced by the mayor of Davis, Joe Krovoza, who is an alumni of the DHS music program. Krovoza gave many thanks throughout the night to the parents and members of Davis Schools Orchestral Music Association (DSOMA) who made the concert possible.

The Baroque Orchestra followed the quartet, and had a special performance by Jazreel Real on the violin, who soloed in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Winter. J.R. is the principal second violinist in the Baroque Ensemble.

Most of the audience was thrilled by the performance, and could not keep their excitement inside to wait to clap until the end of a concerto. Some interrupted the orchestra in-between movements.

“Most conductors would get annoyed by that, but J.R. is a hometown favorite of the school and he’s soloing for the first time with an orchestra. People want to show their love for him, and I’m all about that,” orchestra director Angelo Moreno said.

Real was perhaps the star of the show. Moreno explained after his performance that Real had learned his solo without private lessons, and prepared for the concert through sheer determination.

“J.R. came back from Italy and had learned this solo during the summer and was interested in playing during the winter concert. He was ripping on it, so I gave him this opportunity to solo,” Moreno said.

The ensemble’s performance was followed by a rather lengthy slideshow of pictures from the Baroque Orchestra’s summer trip to Italy. The musicians left the stage and had a fifteen minute intermission.

Another string quartet followed the intermission. Afterwards, the largest of the orchestras, the Symphony Orchestra, took the stage. The Symphony Orchestra had not only the most extensive strings section, but also had a brass and percussion section that the others did not.

The Symphony Orchestra ended the night with their rendition of the holiday classic, Sleigh Bells, which featured a very enthusiastic wood block player.

Each orchestra was lead by Moreno, who either played with the orchestra or conducted. Tim Nguyen, leader of the Baroque Ensemble, directed the first violin section. Nguyen describes how he received his title.

“I had to play the violin pretty well and prove to Mr. Moreno that I was a good leader,” Nguyen said.

Violinist Ryan Bruch said he was particularly proud of the soloists of the night, and enjoyed sharing the orchestra’s music with the crowd.

“Really my goal tonight was to connect with the audience and make sure everyone had a good time,” Bruch said.

Moreno said that the concert was like an open house for the orchestras: an opportunity to show what they have accomplished.

“For me, the concert is a celebration of a lot of hard work. For them, it’s a way of showing the community all of their hard work,” Moreno said.