One of the most important things in any musician’s career is their self-reflection and journey. This is one of the main focus points of Niles West’s Orchestra Odessey concert. Besides the obvious alliteration, the word Odessey, derived from Homer’s Greek poem, means to have a long perilous journey with many changes along the way. The concert perfectly illustrates that by showing the beginning of a musician’s journey from sixth grade to high school. Niles West’s orchestra did this by partnering up with its feeder schools Culver, Fairview South, Lincoln Hall, Lincoln Junior High School and Parkview.
The evening started with the 6th and 7th graders playing “Boogie Man Blues,” by Owe Thörnqvis. Then, the 8th graders and high schoolers played “Fantasia on an Original Theme,” by Thomas Tallis and “Nightrider,” by Richard Meyer. The evening then ended with the Niles West Symphonic Orchestra playing “Andante Festivo,” by Jean Sibelius and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” which is a mixture of some of the iconic music from the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean.
The Odessey gives the middle schoolers and the orchestra director a bit of insight into their future.
“I think that the high schoolers get the opportunity to pay back their community, learn how to think on the spot, how to communicate through music, and how to become a mentor. The name of the concert is also very symbolic to the purpose of the concert because it encapsulates the journey the players go through from fourth grade to now. And even though we are all separated from school, we are family in the Niles Township orchestra program and I’m very fortunate to have colleagues in the middle school who communicate and are teammates. Every year we do ‘Odyssey’ I get to see what I’m getting and see what the orchestra is going to become,” Orchestra Director Natalie Frakes said.
This concert not only taught the middle schoolers but also taught the high schoolers some valuable lessons.
“From this concert, I’ve learned that collaboration and communication are very important in an orchestra, especially with an orchestra filled with kids. Because there’s a huge difference in how you communicate with a middle schooler than a high school student, the most important thing was being more thorough in the way I explained things. This concert has also shown me how I’ve grown as a musician from a 6th grader to now. It has also allowed me to see my old orchestra director and my old orchestra members. I think that this concert not only allowed them to learn new techniques they might not have learned in their normal orchestras but it also gave them some insight into their futures,” junior and violinist Kelly Wingo said.
As a recently graduated middle schooler, violinist freshman Allison Le has had her first year on the other side of the concert and reflects on how different the experience was compared to her previous involvement in this concert.
“The main difference between being in the middle school orchestra and Niles West’s orchestra for this concert is the behind-the-scenes work we do. When I was a middle schooler, I never really thought about how much work Niles West had to put into setting up the stage, music and more. And with my new perspective, I’m even more appreciative of my experience in middle school,” Le said.
