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Photo by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell. Students from Westwood High School and Thurston Middle School are pictured together, in Westwood Public Schools' winter concert.
Westwood Public Schools held its annual All Town Strings Concert last Tuesday, December 5, 2023, in Westwood High School's auditorium, with performances by around 100 student musicians. They made up the Elementary Strings, Thurston Middle School Orchestra, Combined Chamber Orchestra, and Westwood High School Orchestra.
The Elementary Strings were a large group, and were comprised of second graders to fifth graders from schools across the district. Some were experiencing their first concert performance, said director of orchestras Alicia Winslow. The students followed Ms. Winslow's effective lead to a successful end, and wore smiles following applause to their performance.
Middle school and high school musicians shone in their separate and combined orchestras. A good number of students were given the honor of performing solos, and adeptly demonstrated why they had earned the recognition. Along with directing the high school orchestra, Theresa Fritz directed the finale, Across the Stars by John Williams. The piece was composed as a love theme for the characters Anakin and Padme from the movie, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, and the students played it beautifully. Under Ms. Fritz's direction, the musicians capably brought out a sense of the drama and theatricality that is familiar in John Williams compositions.
To take a listen to the performances, check out Westwood Media Center's YouTube video by clicking here. The finale begins at 1:02:47.
Updated 12/11/2023 at 2:34 p.m.
