Langley HS Orchestra freshmen students pose for the camera after a fantastic performance in the Pyramid Pride Concert. From left: Violist Katherine Quion, violinists Su Yeon Yoo, Jackie Fraley, and Sadaf Sizdahkhani. Photo by Chi Pham
On the evening of March 13, the Langley High School Orchestra and Cooper Middle School Orchestra shared the stage in the annual Pyramid concert. Before the
concert, a dinner was held to welcome the Middle School students and give them a chance to mingle with the older musicians.
The concert featured seven different orchestras; three from Cooper and four from Langley, and each orchestra was led by either Cooper MS conductor, Ms. Bo-Min Son, or Langley HS conductor Dr. Scott McCormick. Langley’s Freshmen Orchestra
opened the concert with two pieces by Shostakovich and Gilière.
The freshmen were followed by the Cooper Concert Orchestra’s performance of "Conquistador!" The concert continued with Langley and Cooper Orchestras switching between orchestras and performing a variety of musical themes. The Langley
Sophomore Orchestra performed "Point Lookout" by Brian Balmages, which captures the songs and scenery during the Civil War. Cooper Symphonic Orchestra treated the audience to "Arlington Sketches" by Elliot del Borgo. The Langley Symphonic Orchestra’s performance of "Carmen Suite" by Georges Bizet changed the atmosphere of the auditorium into an opera house. Cooper’s Chamber Orchestra played "Iditarod"
by Soon Hee Newbold to wrap up the selections from Cooper. There were Interlude performances on the piano by Lyric Yu and Theron Masters, which captivated the audience. The last piece of the evening was "Tema Russo" from "Serenade for Strings" by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky, performed by the top musicians of Langley combining the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra.
The Pyramid Concerts are a time for Cooper and Langley students to unite and play for one community. It is also an opportunity to inspire younger musicians to continue playing and join these organizations. David Cramer (father of
senior violinist Alexandra Cramer) said, "It was a wonderful concert and ran very smoothly."