YSHS Concert Season is Back!

On October 17th York Suburban High School hosted its first official concert of the year where each musical group performed a series of captivating pieces that gave the audience a look into the exciting music-filled year ahead. The band presented a collection of spectacular numbers such as Rhythm Machine, Rain, The Haunted Carousel, selections from West Side Story, and Prelude to Firestorm. The orchestra also performed “Rock”-tobersongs including Back-in-Black, a medley of songs from the band Muse, Kashmere, Crazy Train, and Dust in the Wind. Following these instrumental ensembles was the chorus and their impressive presentation of songs like Stand by Me, Don’t Stop Me Now, and Song of the Lonely Mountain. The concert showcased Suburban’s best through its various music groups.. I had the privilege of interviewing someorchestra, band, and chorus members to get an inside look into how they prepared in the days leading up to the concert. The first person I spoke to was a second violinist, Bailey Phinney. She is a member of string ensemble and orchestra. When asked how she felt leading up to the concert, Phinney replied, “Rocktober is one of my favorite concerts! We’ve all been majorly hyping each other up during these final practices.” Though Phinney expressed some uncertainty and nervousness from the Muse medley because of the amount of string changes, the piece came together beautifully, demonstrating the orchestra’s skill when tackling difficult musical material. The next people I had the opportunity to interview were Ruthie Brown and Whitley Kamarauskas. They gave me an inside look into how the chorus organizes for upcoming concerts, saying, “We have double periods for chorus practice so we get to practice one to three times a week. The lyrics for some of the songs are a bit difficult but with this much practice we all should be good to go!” I also spoke with Reece Busse, a member of band and a talented percussionist. He explained, “The song selection we have for the fall concert is really good. We have some upbeat songs that are fun to play, and then some slower songs that are very moving.” Overall, the October concert was a phenomenal success because of the hardworking individuals who made the fantastic event possible.