On Tuesday, May 26, at 6:30 p.m., the Archie Williams Band and Orchestra class held a concert in the Little Theater. The performance featured four groups, each comprising three to eight students, and concluded with a performance of songs from Disney and Pixar films featuring the entire class. Mario Aparacio, the Archie Williams music director, recognized seniors and other talented members of the program for their dedication and leadership throughout the night.
Aparicio began with a speech, explaining that throughout the performance, students who stood out in the program would receive recognition. He recognized the senior members of the program—Zoe Cass-Lein, Rae Caleshu, Eli Chao, and Chloe Dupont—for their commitment throughout their four years in the music program.
Other orchestra and band members also received recognition for their leadership and improvement throughout the school year. Junior Jay Pikkarainen-Klein received the Outstanding Musician award, sophomore Lucas Martyn the Most Improved award, and sophomore Oliver Vasquez the Leadership award. Zoe believes Oliver deserves this award for his hard work throughout the year.
“Oliver has done such a good job [this year]. Everything he’s playing is so good, and he’s improved so much. It’s so admirable,” Zoe said.
Group one performed “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey and “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys. Oliver’s solo in “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” was particularly crowd-pleasing.
The second group was much smaller than the rest, consisting of only three players, but still retained the same energy as the larger groups. They played covers of the songs “Golden” by Huntrix and “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin.
Group three performed “Lovely” by Billie Eilish and Khalid and “Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, 1st Movement” by Johann Sebastian Bach. In “Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, 1st Movement,” Group Three’s violinists—freshman Dotty Pikkarainen-Klein and sophomore Juliette Camhy—received raucous applause for their solo performances.
Group four performed “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” by Randy Newman, “Aria Math” by C418, and “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. Most groups, including Group Four, paired an older and newer song, which evoked a sense of nostalgia among audience members. “Beat It” was the favorite of Group Four’s set among both the audience and the group, according to Jay.
“[My favorite part about tonight] had to be playing the song “Beat It.” It was fun [to jam] with my friends,” Jay said.
Eli played the keyboard during Group Four’s performance and told jokes to fill the space during the performance’s interludes. Other band members shortly followed with their own jokes to keep the audience engaged.
In the final set, all of the orchestra and band members performed “Beauty And The Beast” by Alan Menken and “The Incredibles” by Michael Giacchino, both conducted by Aparicio, to close out the night. Aparicio recognized his students’ passion and energy after the performance.
“They’re so into it and just great leaders and have a great spirit. Everyone was really enjoying the music, and it was really interesting the whole night,” Aparicio said.
Each act in the final band and orchestra performance in the Little Theater was well-received by the audience. While this was the band and orchestra’s last time performing in the Little Theater this year, they will perform at graduation on June 11 for their final act.
