December 7, 2005
CHS stages Opera House concert
Central High School symphony and concert orchestras perform Thursday at City Opera House
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Members of the Traverse City Central High School symphony and concert orchestras are holding their annual holiday concert Thursday evening at the City Opera House.
Conducted by their teacher and orchestra leader, Ellen Boyer, more than 80 members will be on hand, including two dozen graduating seniors playing in their last holiday event.
Taking the stage at the historic City Opera House to kick off the holiday season is a rush for one young musician in the orchestra.
"I'm actually really excited to be doing a concert at the Opera House," said Sarah Paquet, a sophomore cellist. "It makes you feel inspired because you think about all the things that have happened there from the past."
Boyer again tapped the City Opera House for the concert - students gave a fall performance there - in appreciation of the timeless facility.
"I was looking for a more special venue and it really does set such a nice tone," she said. "You can't help but be uplifted by your surroundings and that just makes the music all the more special."
"And the Opera House is good acoustically, just all that wood," Boyer added.
While the program features a range of classical seasonal pieces, the students will also throw the audience a few curves. One number, The Holly and the Ivy, showcases classical guitars while Sleigh Ride ends with a horse whinny, performed by one of the musicians. The classical guitarists will be Dane Emerson, a senior at the school, and Ally Rivard, a sophomore, tapping a depth of musical talent at the school.
Different members of the orchestra will be featured in solos sprinkled through the program, including Paquet on cello and Annie Weldon on piano during Stille Nacht - or the classic Silent Night. Orchestra director Boyer noted that sometimes a particularly talented musician will prod her to choose a piece to highlight their skills; more often, the solos just work out.
"When you have a strong player, that can move you toward something," she said. "But so often we pick the pieces and the soloists emerge."
Most of these musicians have been playing together for years, the seniors for six years. Since Boyer also teachers the orchestra program at East Junior High, she has been guiding and shaping these older students for up to six years.
Stage fright is a thing of the past for Weldon, who said her years of performing have calmed her nerves before a concert.
"The excitement is still there, but it's not the anxiety," said Weldon, who also plays the viola. "It's fun to see everything come together, we start sight reading the music in October."
The percussion section gets a larger role in a concert during the Christmas season, said Preston Lewis, a percussion player with the orchestra and the school's marching band.
"I like the Christmas music the best just because the percussion is so important, there's the bells and the triangles," noted Lewis, who is thinking of studying music performance next year at Bringham Young University.
The combined orchestras of Central High School will hold a holiday concert at the City Opera House on Front Street this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and the public is welcome.