On Dec. 8, Orchestra’s annual Winter Concert was an event full of holiday cheer and festivities. Combining concert orchestra, symphonic orchestra and philharmonic orchestra, everyone had a time to shine and to demonstrate their talent and skills. Given time to practice for a full semester, students who performed in the Winter Concert were eager to fill the audience with warmth and provide an experience for everybody to enjoy.

Sophomore Benjamin Shih has been performing in the Woodbridge orchestra for two years. He was extremely excited to perform in the Winter Concert.

“My role at the Winter Concert was to be part of the symphonic orchestra, being section leader for the violas for one of the pieces,” Shih said.

He describes the viola section as a “tightknit” group within the entirety of orchestra. Because the viola section is one of the smaller groups, Shih has been able to create deeper bonds with his peers.

“Since we are probably one of the smallest groups of the ensemble we can always rely on each other as friends and as peers,” Shih said. Shih’s favorite song performed during the Winter Concert was Solitary Wish. This song has a special meaning to him because it encourages the audience to give back to the community during the holiday season.

Junior Yuri Yaguchi has also been performing in the Woodbridge Orchestra for two years.

“I am the concert master of philharmonic orchestra and I’ve also subbed in for the symphonic orchestra,” Yaguchi said. Yaguchi was late to join philharmonic orchestra due to not being at school during her freshman year. However, she is glad she joined.

To Yaguchi, “every concert we play in is a good bonding experience.” At the Winter Concert, her favorite song played was the Pas De Deux. The Pas De Deux is a french song meaning step of two. This song is from the Nutcracker and always reminds Yaguchi of the holiday season.

Junior Ryan Miao has been in the Woodbridge orchestra the longest of the group, for a total of three years. During the Winter Concert he performed with the philharmonic orchestra. For Miao, the Winter Concert was an exciting time where he could show off his skills with the rest of his peers. This is a special moment for him and his peers because it helped them bond as a section.
“[Performing] helps us recognize the hard work we have been doing the past couple of weeks,” Miao says.

For Miao, Shih and Yaguchi, the Winter Concert has had a memorable impact on them and hopefully the audience as well.
“[The Winter Concert] represents the fruition of all of our hard work throughout the weeks,” Miao said.

Performing together was the epitome of all of orchestra’s effort to produce a work that everyone can enjoy.
“Every concert is different, we play different music and it’s always a different environment,” Yaguchi said.

After spending hours practicing songs and perfecting their respective instruments, the Winter Concert was a combined effort with beautiful music playing, making the performance special.

All in all, orchestra’s Winter Concert was a memorable experience which orchestra students worked very hard to produce.

“Concerts are a fun way for me to gain experience performing alongside my peers, so this is definitely a memorable concert,” Shih said.