On June 1, students in the Choate Rosemary Hall Orchestra (CRHO) will leave for a ten-day tour of Italy, performing in Rome, Florence, and Cremona. CRHO has accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments over the years, including performing in Carnegie Hall and the White House.
CRHO has been preparing for the tour since the beginning of the school year, holding hour-long rehearsals three times a week. In a typical rehearsal, students tune their instruments and then run through the pieces. They focus on honing their technique and making adjustments as they play, pausing and restarting as necessary. Being part of symphony orchestra takes dedication, passion, and hard work.
“For me, this tour is a celebration of all of the work I’ve put towards symphony orchestra,” said William Robertson ’20, a cellist in CRHO. “It’s a chance to celebrate my hard work with all of my friends in a beautiful location.”
The CRHO tours abroad every three years. The CRHO has been invited by the China Ministry of Culture to present concerts broadcasted from Beijing’s Zhongshan Concert Hall and the Great Wall of China. They have performed in China for a total of four times. The CRHO has also performed three times in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Guggenheim Museum.
Furthermore, in 2009, the CRHO was presented with the honor of presenting a concert in the White House. “No other American private secondary school instrumental ensemble or chorus [has] ever achieved such impressive accomplishments and received such well-deserved accolades and standing ovations worldwide!” Mr. Phil Ventre, Conductor of the CRHO said.
Their repertoire for the summer tour includes Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Summer Concerto, featuring Eliana Kim ’20 on the violin, and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Movement I, featuring Kaki Su ’19 on the piano.
This year, the CRHO will perform at Rome’s St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church, the Auditorium of Santo Stefano al Ponte, in Florence, and San Vidal in Venice. When not performing, members of CRHO will visit historical landmarks, museums, and cathedrals. Both faculty and students are very excited for this year’s trip. “I’m really excited to visit museums — specifically the violin museum,” said Kim. “It has all of the rare violins, and it’s just a dream to go there. The sightseeing is going to be amazing.”
“I am so looking forward to being in Italy with our CRHO,” said Mr. Ventre, “and to seeing the smiles on their faces when the audiences present to them so well-deserved ovations in appreciation of their sincerity of purpose, dedication, and passion.”
