Orchestra Performs Spring Concert

The Nutley High School Orchestra performed its annual spring concert on May 13, 2025, in the school auditorium, presenting an evening of strong performances and diverse styles that emphasized their growth and teamwork throughout the school year.

The program featured pieces from “Tam Lyn,” arranged by Crystal Plohman and Bob Philipps, “The Salley Garden" by Benjamin Britten, and “Lion City” by Soon Hee Newbold. Each piece reflected its uniqueness, distinct origin, and spirit.

“​​I wanted to have some contrast in what we played,” Orchestra Director Elizabeth Nowik said. “‘Tam Lyn,’ which is in a minor mode, starts slow and ends fast; ‘The Salley Gardens’ is slow and sweet in major, and ‘Lion City' is fast and aggressive and minor mode again. All three pieces are based on traditional music from different countries: Scotland, Ireland, and Singapore, respectively,” Nowik said.

Students received new music in January, shortly after the Yuletide concert, and had about four months to rehearse before the concert. The early start was important, as the orchestra “had to be ready to perform for a panel of judges by April,” Nowik added.

The spring concert provided more time for advanced and challenging music selections. “The winter Yuletide concert only has about three months to learn concert music, and we need to learn not only the music we play as an orchestra by ourselves, but two ensemble pieces, ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ and ‘Sleigh Ride’. Both are professional-level repertoire,” Nowik said. “For the spring, though, there is no joint performance, and we have the flexibility to do some harder music with the longer time to perform.”

Challenges were expected by students, who spent months refining their technique and building ensemble unity. “Lion City,” with its powerful pace and technical directives, proved challenging for many.

Freshman violinist Ava Kelly said, “The most challenging part of preparing for this concert was ‘Lion City,’ especially measure 43 with all of the shifting. This section had a fast-moving tempo and was hard to shift cleanly.”  

Freshman violinist Katelyn Visotsky said, “‘Lion City’ was the hardest for me because it was pretty fast and at one point my section needed to shift up, which I’m not very good at; it also had a lot of slurs throughout the piece.”  

Despite the challenges of these pieces, students viewed this experience as an opportunity for growth. “Throughout the year, I was assigned harder pieces, which helped me grow as a violinist because they taught me new ways to play and make the music more interesting and enjoyable for my audience,” Visotsky said.  

While each piece had its challenges, some students felt satisfied with their performance in particular sections. “I enjoyed playing ‘The Salley Gardens' because I like how my section got a chance to play its solo part, which we performed well,” Kelly said.  

Before performing their final piece of the night, the orchestra student government took a moment to acknowledge and praise the graduating members of the orchestra. Their recognition added a memorable touch to the evening, celebrating the seniors’ dedication, contributions, and hard work throughout their years in the program.