Sheet music was settled across stands as the quiet waves echoed throughout the room before the conductor waved up. The Atholton orchestra performed their last concert of the school year on April 29th with the Symphony, Chamber, Full Atholton Orchestra and a few band members that were included in the concert.
The Atholton Orchestra is a large community of students who have worked together and found a balance to create great music that inspires the school and community. This is the last concert for many senior orchestra members who have been a part of the group for years.
Being a senior in Atholton Orchestra means that this concert was very important and it created a proper send off. Many seniors had bittersweet feelings towards the ending performance that they gave for Atholton’s orchestra.
The group that they had bonded with and were passionate about showed a great sense of love to the Atholton orchestra, and worked together for it to culminate into a beautiful final concert.
“I want to have fun. I want to see the audience. I just want the audience to see us just vibing,” exclaimed Isabel Cowperthwaite, a twelfth grade violin player. Many seniors in the orchestra were thrilled to be able to display their emotions through their work and electrify the audience.
At the spring concert, there is typically a wonderful performance just by a few of the members. This year consisted of a rare and exciting blend of Chamber Atholton Orchestra, Symphony orchestra, Concert orchestra and Full orchestra.
“We have a great collection of pieces,” said Adara Baldini, a viola player in the orchestra.
“We have Tchaikovsky, we have Mozart. I think Handel’s in there,” Baldini described. The Atholton Orchestra will be playing a great piece by a Mexican composer called ‘Conga Del Fuego Nuevo, which Baldini described as “really fun” and “really lively.”
For the final part of the spring concert, the orchestra students had decided to perform the song “Secrets” by OneRepublic as the main component of their pop concert piece. Xavier Julien, a violinist and the soloist for this piece, expressed his feelings for the role of this very important beginning solo.
“Mr. Reinhardt just picked whoever he felt would do the solo and he told me in class on Friday. I was super excited and grateful for the opportunity,” Julien announced.
Although this departure is very sad for many, some of the Atholton Orchestra members took it in stride to do their best for their final concert.
“This is my last concert with Atholton and we’re gonna make it a good one,” Baldini voiced. She expressed that this concert gave her the motivation to do the absolute best she can do and closed out her senior year in a fun way.
Two weeks have passed since this performance, and the Atholton Orchestra class of 2025 has created a core memory that can be cherished in even more years to come.
Concluding this year’s 2025 musical rendition, Cowperthwaite goes off to participate in new musical opportunities during her time in accord to her three year college endeavor once she graduates this coming school year. Cowperthwaite hoped to be able to carry the weight of the tough trials ahead. “I’m thankful for the time I was able to put in,” added Cowperthwaite.
Finding deep solace in his passion to play the violin, Julien stated that he will carry the time and experiences that he had in the Atholton orchestra with him for the rest of his life.
“You know,” Julien said, “Atholton Orchestra definitely has been a safe space and definitely a fun experience being a part of the music department.”
The seniors will be deeply missed and Atholton Orchestra is grateful for the years we had with them.
Seniors in all sectors–Full, Symphony, Chamber and Band–have walked across the stage before, but this time they headed in with a heavy heart, ready for their last performance, as if walking the stage for graduation. Strings were plucked and reverberated through each other.
The sounds of the brass and woodwork sprang out brightly as the players sweat beaded above the lights, an iridescent look in their eyes. Roses were tucked into seniors shirts as the sound of their decrescendo quieted their sadness, and awakened a new budding beginning.