This year, the end of March brought over 600 Spring-Ford orchestra students into one room, silencing a bustling crowd of families and friends in the stands. With performances from elementary students – the year their musicianship begins – to a thundering ensemble of over 100 high-schoolers, the night of Spring-Ford Music Association’s annual String Jamboree kicked off with a bang.
Consisting of orchestral performances from grades 4-12, the String Jamboree is held annually in the towering main gymnasium at Spring-Ford’s Senior High School 10-12 Building, its golden flooring eclipsed by dark carpet, with hundreds of chairs and stands on top. Coordinating the set-up of such an event takes a great toll each year, and it is carried out by our music directors.
Performances went in order of grade, beginning with fourth grade. Once each ensemble had finished their respective pieces, the entire orchestra came together, as they do each year, to perform a rendition of the classic “Blue Danube” as the final piece: a waltz originally composed to lift the spirits of those who listened. This was definitely accomplished during the Jamboree, and the final piece of the night was met with thunderous applause from the families and friends in the audience.
Spring-Ford Superintendent Bob Rizzo started the event with his thanks to the orchestra department, the performing students, and loved ones in attendance. The fourth graders, conducted by Ms. Sexton, played the classic “Hot Cross Buns”, followed by “Walking Song.” Next, the 5th grade students played “Dark Forest Legend” with Mrs. Katzianer as conductor, while 6th grade played “Entry of the Tumblers” under her guidance as well. Grades 7 and 8, who played together, performed “March of The Czar”, conducted by Miss Hamm, with this song being our personal favorite due to its eerie tone and deep pitch, making it a great song overall.
High school musicians presented “Resilience” by Daniel Chu, a junior at Spring-Ford High School who is a gifted violinist and composer and used this song to win a composition competition. The song has many tone variations, which makes it extremely dynamic in nature. At the end, all of the grades performed together for the finale.
