Students nervously chat in front of the new Recital Hall in Colony Hall, their heartbeats high as though they just ran up a hill. They are about to audition for one of Choate’s selective music ensembles, and whether new or returning, they are all incredibly apprehensive. Are they ready for this?
The Symphony and String Orchestras’, Jazz and Wind Ensembles’ auditions took place on September 8, 9, and 10, and the signup lists were nearly full for each day. The demand for participation in these musical ensembles was so high this year that although September 8 and 9 were initially reserved for string auditions only and the 10th for winds, brass, and percussion, all musicians had to audition on each day. The slots on the 10th filled completely two days before, and the 8th and 9th remained nearly full.
One major shift returning musicians noticed is that the Orchestra has an unprecedentedly large number of cellos this year.According to Claire Yuan ’21, who plays the flute and piccolo in the Choate Rosemary Hall Symphony Orchestra (CRHO), there are 18 cellos this year. This number stands in stark contrast to the Orchestra’s four violas. This is typically considered unequal instrumental distribution, and Mr. Phil Ventre, the conductor of the Symphony Orchestra, reflected on the disparity as well. He admitted that there were an unusually high number of cello auditions this year, and even after a large portion was accepted into Orchestra, the String Orchestra was still joined by five new cellists.
CRHO now has 70 musicians in contrast to last year’s 56. However, CRHO isn’t the only musical ensemble on campus whose distribution of musicians among instruments isn’t equal.
Although for some ensemble auditions are a nerve-wracking test for which students practice for years, for others, like Mai Ly Hagan ’21, they are an opportunity to try something new. New to Choate last year, Hagan describes her experience in the vast, acoustically engineered Recital Hall, where many feel small and shy, as “wild.” She really wanted to be in the String Orchestra, even though she had basically taught herself how to play the cello. “I told them I didn’t have anything to play for them. When they insisted, I played them Hot Cross Buns. It was really out of tune. They asked me to play it again, but more in tune. So I played it again.” This year, she has become the first chair cellist of the String Orchestra.
As a clarinet player currently in her second year in CRHO, I can attest to the fact that the competition has only intensified. Although 18 cellos is a striking number, no new clarinets and barely any other new students were admitted to the woodwinds section of the orchestra. Nonetheless, with newly motivated musicians and returners, CRHO is looking at a rewarding year.
The first pieces envisioned by Mr. Ventre,Johannes Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture and Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, are scheduled to be played for the Choate community during Parents’ Weekend. With a concert so near, both new students and returners have an incentive to practice their instruments with passion.
