By Jannelle Dang

Opinion Editor

Gabrielino High School’s band and orchestra showcased a semester’s worth of effort on Wednesday night at their Winter Concert, which was held in the Goodson Theatre at 7 p.m.

The advanced orchestra, concert band, and Gabrielino Eagle Marching Regiment (GEMR) were joined for the first time by the intermediate orchestra on Wednesday. This year’s freshmen class brought more additions to Gabrielino’s music program in comparison to previous years.

In contrast, the size of the concert band was unusually small, totaling only 12 musicians. Despite these changes, Melissa Romero, director of Gabrielino’s Music department, and her students worked with what they had, and put together a program with a diverse range of music genres, including classical, festive, and 70s rock pieces.

One piece in particular stood out to Romero: “Egmont Overture,” composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven. It was performed by the advanced orchestra, and is among the more challenging compositions in the orchestra’s music library.

During the concert band’s performance, Romero joined her students to play the bass clarinet as a substitute for a tuba player. She was accompanied by cheers from the audience, while Diego Ruiz, a member of GEMR, took her place as conductor.

“It’s all about listening and watching each other, and trusting we’re going to play when we’re supposed to do,” stated Romero to the audience before starting the first song, “Kentucky 1800” by Clare Grundman.

GEMR concluded the concert with their 2016 field show, “The Music of Queen,” which included the rock band’s hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Although the concert was an overall success, the musicians found reward in the smaller details of the night.

“Hearing the applause[…] that’s always our goal, and it happened tonight,” stated Jose Fernandez, drum major of GEMR.