The Orchestra of Generations

Have you ever heard of adults and students playing together in an orchestra concert? Well the Springville Junior High ninth-grade orchestra did! They got the opportunity to play with the BYU New Horizons orchestra on March 28 at Springville High School. The BYU New Horizons Orchestra is a group that provides opportunities for adults to learn to play an orchestral stringed instrument. Dr. Tsugawa, the orchestra director at SJHS, said “This concert was the sixth annual Intergenerational Concert between the SJHS orchestra program and the BYU New Horizons Orchestra.” Most of the orchestra students were excited to play with people that are not the same as them! According Gray Burton, a ninth-grade cellist, he thinks it’s cool that the class got to share their talents with adults. 

The songs that the orchestras played together were Lovers Waltz, Les Quebicas, Intrada, Sheep to safely graze, and a brand new song, Lincoln at Gettysburg. Lincoln at Gettysburg is a song composed by Dr. Andrew Dabczynski, professor of music education at BYU and director of the BYU New Horizons Orchestra. That was the first time this song was played. Jed Barker, a ninth-grade violist, said, “It’s really cool that we got to play a song that had never been played before!”  Dr. Dabczynski wrote the song in honor of the Battle of Gettysburg and President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Tiana Ta’la, a ninth-grade violinist, said, “I like how the melody and the rhythm flow together.” Many of the students in orchestra like this song and they were glad that they could to be the first ones to play it. This song is also special because it’s not like any normal orchestra song; t has someone narrating along with the song.  The students play in the background while the narrator tells a story about Lincoln is Gettysburg. Mr. Bryan Tobler, former band teacher at Springville High School, narrated for the performance.  The orchestra also added percussion to the Gettysburg song to make it more dramatic. Many of the people that went enjoyed the performance and liked the new Gettysburg song. Good job ninth-grade and New Horizons orchestra!