From performing at football games to showcases, and finishing the year playing at graduation, the Oak Park High School Music program has had another successful year.
One of their first events was Music at the Movies on Oct. 4 and 5 where three bands, a string ensemble and two choirs performed. Following, both choirs showcased some Barbershop and Broadway tunes at the Variety Show, the chamber choir sang at the Reagan Library for the Holiday Dinner and the Jazz A band performed at Bogies Bar in Westlake. During spring, the music ensembles performed at multiple festivals for judges – their ensembles received the highest possible rating.
There were also a few events in which the theater and music programs worked together, such as the Madrigal Dinner held in the Oak Park Community Center on Feb 9 at 7 p.m.
“Some of our instrumentalists and singers participated in the spring musical with theater,” Choral and Strings Director Stacy McClamma wrote the Talon. “We had a new event called the Madrigal Dinner, a Renaissance-themed dinner and show, a collaboration between instrumental and choir performers and theater.”
The OPHS music program performed for the student body at the Fine Arts Assembly and joined the Medea Creek Middle School’s Music Program in the district-wide Music Fest. Their most recent event was the Spring Concerts on April 24, 25 and 29.
For these events to run as smoothly as possible, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that needs to be done.
“In order to perform our best, we frequently go through cycles of sight-reading pieces in order to select the best one for our set,” senior Catherine Cheng wrote the Talon. “Our directors spend time teaching students how to find the balance between music so that one genre does not overpower another. After our music is selected, the musicians practice both in class and out to refine their performance skills.”
However, it’s not all about the performances and competitions.
“As a senior, it is quite bittersweet to be leaving the program,” Cheng wrote. “Although I only joined the OPHS performing arts department in my Sophomore year, I have met so many lifelong friends. From starting my music journey at the school with music masks and covers for my instrument to saying goodbye to my peers and the underclassmen, I will miss the program in its entirety.”
If you want to learn more about the music program and what events they’ll be at next, take a look at their website.
“I hope that our student body, teachers and staff can make it out to a performance next year to see our amazing music department perform!” McClamma wrote.
