Langley Orchestra
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Dec 16
Whisked away to Russia!
On Tuesday, December 7th, Dr. Scott McCormick and the Langley Orchestra presented its Russian Winter Dreams concert. Prior to the concert, students dined on potato and beef pirozhkis and enjoyed Russian-themed treats in Langley Hall. Highlights of the concert included performances of music of famous Russian composers including Tchaikovksy, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Shostakovich, introductions by students taking Russian, and a reading and song by Langley’s iconic Russian teacher, Dr. Valentin Cukierman.
The concert recording link has been shared with orchestra families via e-newsletter and will also be made available in Schoology. Please note that only the first hour of the video can be streamed directly from the Dropbox account; to play the entire video including the “Mad Russian Christmas” performance, please be sure to download the file first. The concert program can be downloaded below.
For a fabulous write-up about the concert, please see this week’s Connection Newspapers for an article written by senior Philharmonic violinist Erika Li. Full versions of this week’s Connection Newspapers are linked: McLean and Great Falls.
Photos of the concert can be viewed at langleyorchestra.shutterfly.com. We would appreciate any photos you would be willing to upload to the site to share with our orchestra family!
Dec 03
Upcoming Russian Winter Dreams concert
A few reminders as we prepare for our winter concert next Tuesday, December 7th. First, all students are required to stay after school on concert day to attend rehearsal. The rehearsal schedule (on stage) is as follows:
| 3:00-3:45 Concert Orchestra (Freshman & Sophomore classes) | ||
| 3:45-4:30 Symphonic Orchestra (Junior & Senior classes) | ||
| 4:30-5:15 Philharmonic Orchestra | ||
| 5:30-6:15 Dinner – Russian themed dinner for participating Food Fund students | ||
| 6:30-7:00 Hospitality and piano performances/Russian readings in Langley Hall | ||
| 7:00-8:30 Concert | ||
Second, all students need to wear formalwear (tuxedo or Langley black/green dress) with black closed-toe dress shoes for the concert. All students and audience members must also wear masks.
Finally, at our concert we will celebrate Ruth Donahue, Spring Hill Elementary’s Orchestra Director from 1988-2021, and her recent retirement.
Our fundraiser donut sales will begin at 3:25 pm (boxes of 1 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for $10), and coffee can be picked up prior to the concert. Special thanks to all the families who have already signed up to donate food to our Hospitality tables — please consider signing up to bring something if you haven’t already at this SignUpGenius.
Nov 30
Senior Spotlights: Stella Mategrano & Julian Lee
Stella Mategrano (viola):
Favorite memory: my very first concert with the Philharmonic Orchestra, as a sophomore, bouncing around post-dinner with a cup of sponsor coffee in hand and sporting cat ears (for the animal theme), warming up and having a good time!
What I love about LHS Orchestra: I love that it caters to players of all levels of experience. We are lucky enough to have so many students that we can have five orchestra class periods, and three concert groups. Being in the philharmonic orchestra has let me play at a level that I’m proud to achieve, while younger students get to have ensembles that ease them into playing and give them needed experience.
Words of wisdom: If you love what you play, orchestra is a thing that will always make you happy.
Julian Lee (violin):
Favorite memory: I love the hours before the concert, when everyone is warming up, eating together, and excitement is high. Specifically I thought it was cool when we go the chance to perform with the JMU orchestra, as I picked up a lot from my violin performance major stand partner.
What I love about LHS Orchestra: I love the community. The students are friendly with shared passions, the parents are organized, and the teachers love what they do. Everyone gives their all in the activities, whether it be playing, washing cars, or fake-laughing at Doc’s jokes.
Words of wisdom: Keep doing orchestra for all four years, you meet some great people, learn a lot of fun music from different eras, and it’s a nice break from the rigor of junior and senior year.