On November 17th, 2025, our high school held its 2nd Winter Concert for all the orchestras in our school. This includes the Concert Orchestra made up of mostly freshmen, and a small number of sophomores. The Honors Symphonic Orchestra which showcases a small amount of freshmen and seniors, and is reserved mostly for sophomores and juniors. Finally, our most advanced orchestra, the AP-weighted Chamber Orchestra is made up of the most skilled string players in the school, including two members, Aiden Chang (2027) and Caleb Ho (2027), who were recently accepted into the NJ regional orchestra. The musicians who play for the Chamber Orchestra also collectively play for The Symphonic Orchestra, which showcases them along with band members mixed in.
The Concert Orchestra kicked off the concert with two songs: “Intrigue” by Sean O’Loughlin, and “Furiant” by Elliot Del Borgo. In an interview, orchestra director Mark Lalumia mentioned, “I think that my favorite song that Concert Orchestra played was “Furiant” because it was very exciting throughout the song, and pretty long also.”
I myself am in Concert Orchestra, and in my perspective, the orchestra played a lot better than expected (and no, I am not saying this because I played for them). For a while, the orchestra had problems when it came to learning their part, and I, along with people I know, felt slightly worried when it came to how we were going to perform in the concert. However, the orchestra brought their best effort, and worked hard to play as well as they did that night.
The second orchestra playing that night was the Honors Symphonic Orchestra with three beautifully-performed pieces. In the beginning was “Westridge Overture” by Richard Meyers. The piece has a very uplifting tone throughout its entire 7 minutes and had an overall calm feel to it. I will say it exceeded my expectations immensely, as their tone was amazing along with them having perfect pitch throughout. Soloist Kylee Ho (2029), who played in the second song, an orchestral version of “The Return of the King” from “Lord of the Rings,” said: “While performing I think I did alright, but it felt better than all the rehearsals. I think I did better than in every rehearsal we rehearsed it.” Lastly, the final song performed was “Romanian Folk Dance” by Bela Bartok. Unlike the other songs, this piece was split into four different movements: Joc Cu Bata, Buciumeana, Poarga Romanesca, and finally, Maruntel.
Prior to The Chamber Orchestra’s section, many people who were supposed to perform were unable to. Mr.Lalumia said “ Our first chair violin was actually sick that day along with 15 other people [from all orchestras], so our second chair had to fill in for our first, since unfortunately, he was not able to attend.” The musicians played five songs, with the first being “Serenade in G – Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” by Mozart, which is split into four movements: Allegro, Romanza, Menuetto, and Rondo. The next piece was “Orion and the Scorpion” by Soon Hee Newbold, which refers to the constellation that is also known as“ The Hunter”.
To close the concert, The Symphonic Orchestra performed a spectacular performance of three songs with not only string instruments but wind and brass instruments alongside them as well. First up was “Into the Storm” by Robert W. Smith, showcasing flute players in the Orchestra, along with accompaniment from the clarinets and string instruments throughout the song. The second song was “Piano Concerto No. 2 in c minor op.18,” composed by Sergei Rachmainoff featuring movement II. Adagio Sostenuto performed by soloist (and Viking Vibe Editor in Chief) Karim Salahie (2026) on piano. Before the performance, Salahie explained this song’s extreme significance as it was created to visualize the composer’s struggle with depression and his mental health.
Wrapping up the entire concert, and bringing some pre-Christmas cheer to our ears, was the classic song “Sleigh Ride”, featured in the movie, A Christmas Carol. SBHS’s orchestras are extremely talented so if you missed this concert, stay tuned for the next one in May!
