Student Musicians Perform Virtual Fall Concert

By Symphony Cheung, Amelia Grandrath, and Mia Sternad

Led by director Craig Bryant, orchestra and band members hosted a fall concert on October 20. All of the pieces were live streamed on Albany Music Fund’s Facebook page, and 140 viewers watched the live event. The stream was also recorded and can still be viewed on the page.

Band and orchestra have reoriented most of their plans for the school year. Both instrumental groups are holding virtual rehearsals, and students report it has been nothing less than complicated.

According to senior Eli Jordan, during [band/orchestra] rehearsals “we play along with Mr. Bryant for warmups while on mute, he will brief us on what to record for the day, and [then] we will have async[hronous] time to record our piece for the day.”

The new plan to play without an ensemble is very different from what these students are used to, but despite the difficulties in practicing, Albany High musicians are learning new skills in recording and mixing music.

“The kids are now like certified recording engineers,” Mr. Bryant said as he introduced the first song of the evening, “Wood Splitter Fanfare” performed by the string orchestra.

Senior Colin O’Brien, president of the student-led Instrumental Music Board, is optimistic about future plans for this year.

“We’re also trying to do some more music related assignments that don't involve playing together,” O’Brien said. “We’re in the process of starting a book in jazz band by Wynton Marsalis and have talked about learning more music theory or working on our own arrangements.”

This fall concert was different from any other concert in the school’s history, and Mr. Bryant is proud of what they were able to produce with how little they had to work with.

“The students have done a nice job, and I am happy with our progress,” he said.