At first, the only sound you can hear is the shuffling of sheet music. Then on cue, mesmerizing music fills the room and the entire audience is captivated in their seats.

On Dec. 8, West Ranch’s finest musicians gathered in the theatre and for two hours, the room was filled with nothing but blissful music. Four different groups played a variety of songs that they had been practicing for over a month now. And despite my complete ignorance to the nuances and subtleties of music, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the concert

The Concert Orchestra began the night with “Andante and Alla Breve” by G.P Teleman and “Contrasts in E Minor” by Francis Feese. Their last song was “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo” which was a spin off of the famous Christmas carol, “Carol of the Bells,” performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. However, the students’ performance was so mesmerizing that the song might as well have been performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra itself.

The Chamber Orchestra followed and delivered an equally captivating performance. They began with a piece written by a musician everyone has at least heard of, Mozart’s “Impresario Overture.” They then followed up with William Hofeldt’s “In the Company of Angels,” which truly sounded like music that would accompany you as you ascended to heaven. To follow up on such a serenading piece, they performed “Bacchanale from Samson and Dalila,” a fast paced piece that Jason Marshall described as the closest thing Classical and Romantic music had to a party song.

“They’re really interesting,” said concertmaster Alisa Luera, a junior, “They’re not typical Baroque music or classical music. It’s all contemporary which is like this generation’s music.”

After the Chamber Orchestra took their bow, the tone of the concert shifted as the two Band groups began their pieces. They started by playing “Caliber” by Erik Morales and “Silent Night” by Franz Xaver Gruber. They then played a piece whose composer is at least known to most people, Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7, II Allegretto.” According to Brian Leff, this piece, when it had originally been played in the concert halls of Europe, had received immediate demands for an encore. While no encore was demanded here, the performance would have justified one.

The final group to play was the Wind Ensemble, composed of the most talented woodwind players. Their first piece, “Transcendent Journey” by Rosano Gonzalez, sounded like something that would accompany a major movie scene as the hero flies to an unknown destination determined to vanquish his/her foe. They followed up with “On a Hymnsong of Phillip Bliss,” a slower, mellower piece. They ended the entire night with another famous Christmas carol, “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson. Although the song completely lacked vocals, the instrumental itself was an enjoyable experience that brought the Christmas vibe to the night.

“ They’re not typical Baroque music or classical music. It’s all contemporary which is like this generation’s music.” — Alisa Luera

“We do a wide variety of music and we try to throw some holiday pieces since it’s the season,” said Marshall. “I go about choosing music that will challenge the students but also fit them well.”

In preparation for their performance, each of the sections had spent a lot of time rehearsing and practicing.

“We just practice during wind ensemble period which is period 4 and we rehearsed the whole period,” said senior oboist Jonas Katona.

Overall, the concert was a fantastic way to spend two hours of an evening for both the performers and the audience.

“I thought everyone played great,” concluded Marshall, “It was a wonderful concert and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.”