On Thursday, October 27th, all levels of the Carl Sandburg High School orchestra (concert, philharmonic, and symphonic) performed their first official concert of the year.

Sandburg’s orchestra started practicing at the beginning of the school year and feelings of excitement, nervousness, and fear were mixing. Many say they were prepared and excited, while others say they did not feel ready.

They prepared to play a series of pieces, some combined and some played solo. Having practiced for two months with constant rehearsal, Sandburg students were ready to show off their hard work to their families, eighth-grade guests from Jerling, Century, and Orland Junior High, as well as other community members. 

After asking students, some have stated they felt nervous with lack of practice and/or confidence. One student, Amanda Belair, who plays second violin in Sandburg’s concert level orchestra, talks about how she felt on stage and behind the curtains. 

¨I was nervous before we went on, but when we went on it was pretty fun and I hope the next one is better. I think I played my best, it might have not sounded the best, but I did play the best I could.¨ 

Most of the time, students feel first-concert jitters that cause them anxiety, but the performance is always an experience to remember. Although some students commented about feeling the pressure of a performance early in the school year, their practicing was key to their success. Perfecting and playing is the only thing that can get the piece to as perfect as it can be, so when students put in minimal practice, it results in a more nerves and more challenges with the music.

The concert sounded great overall with several impressive playing techniques and pieces from all three orchestra groups.

Orchestral students are being taught under the experienced and talented Carl Sandburg orchestra teacher, Dr. Veleckis-Nussbaum, who is also a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Nussbaum shows a great deal of pride in her orchestra. She knows firsthand that the work is never done and continues to pursue her work for the next concert. She awaits the bringing of joy to the viewers she wishes to impress with her students. 

Dr. Nussbaum said, ¨My thoughts about the last concert were that I was very proud of the work the students did and there’s a lot of hard work yet to come.”

When asked about the holiday concert, she also stated “My hope for the holiday concert is to bring a lot of fun and spirit and joy to the audience.” 

Now, the students are preparing for their following concert on Thursday, December 8th, 2022 which will be a mix of all three musical programs, orchestra, choir, and band. Students are stepping up their practice and preparation, and the excitement is building, especially after getting over the first concert run. The orchestra program as a whole looks forward to sharing music with holiday cheer in the weeks to come.