With the arrival of spring on campus came a number of important events to look forward to, including our annual Spring Orchestra Concert. 

Each of the talented musicians who make up the orchestra walked on stage on April 4th with confidence and pride after weeks of practice. The group, which consists of roughly twenty-five students, played a total of five pieces which included “Fiddlers Three” by Robert Buckley, “The Largo” by Dvorak Brubaker, “The prayer” by Bayer-Sager & Foster Cerulli, Music from Brave by Doyle Longfield, and “Concerto in D major” for Violins by Telemann. Towards the end of the performance, there was a Tri- M Ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of the students who were inducted into that prestigious group. Fortunately, it was a live stream performance so families and friends outside of Kent could watch the concert. 

With the pandemic, preparing for the concert was different from previous years.Students in the Orchestra had to have their masks on for rehearsals and the performance. LuLu Ransom ’23 says “Sometimes it was hard to play with masks on but we were happy to play together after a long summer of not being able to participate.” 

Mrs. Hobbs, Music Department Chair and the director of the Orchestra says that “Due to Covid-19, we had to split the orchestra into smaller sections which was something that we didn’t do last year.” Despite these changes,  she wants to express gratitude to her students who have worked exceptionally hard and coped well during these hard times. She notes, “It’s been a virtual year in some ways, and we haven’t had as many rehearsals as we normally would, but the kids have done a great job of stepping up and embracing what we have been able to do. They were all eager to prepare and dig in, and concerts were designed so that the students would have a goal.” 

Although there are not many weeks left for the year, there are some exciting upcoming events, including the senior showcase on the 25th of April, which will feature three sixth-formers, Julia Park, Carly Mitchell, and Chloe Mao.