Oak Park Music showcased its annual Winter Concert on Dec. 5, 6 and 7 in the OPHS Pavillion. The musical performances occurred in the evenings with the setlists lasting a couple of hours. The concert was also live-streamed on YouTube for viewing online.
The OPHS Orchestra’s winter concert is an annual tradition that the Oak Park Music team has been upholding for years. The show features live music, solo pieces and duets. The Jazz band took the stage first on Dec. 5, and the wind symphony followed, performing on Dec. 6. The final performance on Dec. 7 was by choir, Wind Ensemble and strings.
To compliment the holiday tunes, the Pavillion was decorated to a tee, resembling a winter wonderland. Members of the OPHS orchestra explained the amount of preparation that went into this event.
“It takes a couple months of preparation, both in our regular band classes and outside practice on our own time,” senior percussionist Gautam Valiveti said. “The actual concert takes a lot of preparation, like making seating charts and setting up the stage, and switching up the entire setup during intermission.”
For some band members, this winter production stirred up feelings of exhilaration as well as nervousness.
“Personally, I’m definitely at least a little bit nervous before performances, and students get super busy in preparation for the concerts, but they always end up super fun,” Instrumental Music Council President, Wind Ensemble clarinet player and senior Michelle Bi said.
The event had consistently high turnouts across all three nights and is an annual favorite in the community. OPHS students, parents, faculty members and alumni came together in celebration of the holiday season and students in the musical realm.
“It was really fun to see what Oak Park Music had been working on, and even though I didn’t go to specifically support someone, it was so fun to see the entire performance,” senior Bella Manuel said.
Oak Park Music will present a medieval-themed evening with dinner and other festivities, at the Oak Park Community Center, on Feb. 9.
