Pure Musical Concert: “Fantastical Classical Night”

May 13, 2019 admin

On Friday, April 19, from 6:00 to 7:30 P.M., the members from the High School Chamber Music Group presented the Pure Musical Concert, “Fantastical Classical Night.” The concert consisted of 13 different songs and performances, each with a unique and brilliant music style. Teachers, students, and parents sat in the high school first floor auditorium, quietly enjoying ‘fantastic’ music performances given by talented students.

**Helen Kim, Jisoo Park, HyeWon Rha, and Jessica Fan perfectly executes their performance to the song “Tale As Old As Time” by Alan Menken.** *Photo Courtesy of Krissie Tan*

**Karin Tan (12C) showcases her violin solo, “Zigeunerweisen Op. 20” by Pablo de Sarasate** *Photo Courtesy of Krissie Tan*

“The name of the concert pretty much reflected our performances. For myself, I performed a violin solo “Zigeunerweisen Op. 20” by Pablo de Sarasate, which is a piece that demands very difficult techniques and emotion. I believe hours of practice since the New Years have really paid it off. I never knew I was able to play this piece in public because it was insanely difficult even for professionals. But on the night before the concert, I have received an acceptance from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (ranked top 5 in the world), which really gave me so much courage for my performance. In the end, some parents came to me after the performance and told me that they cried listening to my violin solo. I guess I have fulfilled my dreams and will carry it out into the future,” commented Karin Tan (12C), “We practiced hours and months for this one night. It was a long process, but we enjoyed [it]. Even if it was during midterms exams, all the performers spared their time for rehearsals. This was incredibly invaluable. All [of] us had to spare our time to practice but everyone did it joyfully and willingly. I love our “Game of Thrones” theme song, everyone carried great anticipation for the concert.”

**Yiyun Wu fascinates the audience with her violin to the song “Violin Sonata No.2 in A minor Andante, BWV 1003” by J.S. Bach** *Photo Courtesy of Kelly Woo*

“I enjoyed Karin’s violin solo immensely. She plays with such infectious passion and energy. She’s always been such an inspiration to me, and I know she worked incredibly hard to learn such a difficult piece,” commented Yiyun Wu (ET12A), “Since there are two chamber classes, we had to do full rehearsals together during lunch in the weeks leading up to the performance. Everyone had such busy schedules, especially since it was exam week, but we all took time out and made it work. I always enjoy learning new repertoire and attending music rehearsals, and I’ll carry the memories I’ve made here with me wherever I go in the future. I enjoyed finally sharing something I’ve worked on for so long, but there was definitely room for improvement. I learned a lot when reflecting on my performance. Every time I step off stage, I try to tell myself that I did the best I could at that moment in time. In terms of Fantastical Night overall, I think everything was much more polished this year. The IT staff and helpers did a brilliant job!”

**Schedule of the Spring Arts Festival** – *Photo Courtesy of SMIC-I*

On May 20, Monday, there will be an AP ART SHOW: “OH, THE THINKS YOU CAN THINK!” at the High School Front Lobby. Fabulous artworks by AP Art Students will be displayed, so don’t forget to miss out this festival! This is the last show that will be putting an end to the long journey of “2019 Spring Arts Festival”!

Featured image – High School Chamber performs “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy. Photo Courtesy of Krissie Tan

by Kelly Woo