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Sakib Asraf

On June 5th, the Chamber Music Collaboration Concert was held as a culmination of a year’s worth of work by both the Percussion Ensemble and the many groups that make up the Chamber Music Club. The concert was held in the Black Box Theater and contained a great variety of music, covering everything from classical to rock.

Kicking off the event was the Percussion Ensemble, which meets in both a daily in-school class and a weekly after-school club. Their performance featured an original song titled “Now,” written and performed by outgoing seniors Tal Ben-Anat, Natalia Ruiz, and Eli Zibello. Ben-Anat described his experience writing and playing the song as “really fun,” saying, “Because there were no melodic elements, I got to arrange only rhythm, which gave me a lot more freedom.” Ruiz also contributed by arranging a Brazilian-inspired composition, “Brazilian Suite.” Ben-Anat was very happy with how it went. “We really pulled it together and locked in,” he commented.

The rest of the concert was comprised of several instrumental groups that were part of the Chamber Music Club. Sophomore Amelia Bronfman, the club’s vice president, summarized their preparation for the concert, saying, “We had to form groups, hold master classes, and make sure that everyone was progressing well. After that, all of the setup wasn’t very difficult.”

First up in the concert was a flute trio playing “Sonate,” a composition in three parts by Johann Joachim Quantz. The piece began with an up-tempo segment, followed by a much slower part, then a moderately-paced section. Following the flute trio was a group of three violinists and a pianist, playing Charles Dancla’s “Six Petits Trios.” Next, a clarinet duo performed a piece by Czech composer Anton Dvorak. They supplemented this with a traditional English folk song, “Greensleeves,” which offered a change of pace from the classical songs. These pieces were followed by a woodwind and piano group playing another classical suite. Closing out the show was a big departure from the mostly classical pieces played earlier: A rock band played two more contemporary songs, Radiohead’s “Creep” and “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The musicians considered the concert to be a great success for the Chamber Music Club and the music program as a whole. “I think everybody did really well, and it was so nice to see their improvement,” Bronfman said. “Chamber music is a great way to learn music because groups choose their own music, and it requires performers to really pay attention and listen to each other.”

Bronfman continued, “People should consider joining Chamber Music Club because it is such a great way to meet new people and learn a new way of playing music.”