Dozens of parents and students filled seats inside the music building last Friday to watch young musicians from the school and Lynbrook perform classical music pieces as part of the annual Chamber Music by the Bay (CMB) performance.
As a professional chamber music organization founded in 2012, CMB performs around the community to spread the love of classical music.
Now in its 13th season, CMB’s annual “side-by-side” performance offers students from both schools the opportunity to join professionals in playing chamber music — string pieces performed without a conductor.
Alongside the young musicians were Class of 2004 alumna violist Jessica Chang, violinist Zenas Hsu, cellist Laura Gaynon and featured guest violinist Hannah Tarley. All four musicians grew up in the Bay Area, eventually becoming professional musicians dedicated to community-based music education.
This year, joining the professionals were junior violinists Anvi Agarwal, Andrew Gong, Jenny Jiang, Sarah Jiang, Thomas Lung and Evelyn Phan; violists senior Justin Chen, junior Maahi Agarwal, sophomore Madison Ng and Lynbrook High senior Mia Liu; and cellist seniors Kyle Li and Florence Wei and sophomore Allen Huang.
A total of three pieces were performed, with the first two only performed by the CMB professionals. The finale brought all of the student musicians together, playing alongside the professionals as a larger chamber group.
Four movements of “Terzetto in C Major, Op. 74” by Antonín Dvořák started off the evening, with Tarley, Hsu and Chang performing as a trio. For the following piece, Gaynon joined the group for Emilie Mayer’s “String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 14.”
Sophomore Allen Huang, who closely listened to the musicians’ phrasing and blend in the first two pieces, acknowledges the wondrous effect of well-played chamber music. When the professionals played together, it sounded like one musician; they blended with each other seamlessly, he noted.
“Watching the professionals play made me realize what levels they can reach, and what it would look like if I were to be a professional musician like them,” Huang said. “They also engaged with the audience really well, making sure the audience is enjoying the performance as much as they are.”
For the finale, students set up for a youthful piece — Benjamin Britten’s “Simple Symphony, Op. 4” — rounding out not only the Friday night, but also the students’ week of practice and rehearsals.
After the final notes echoed and bows went up in unison, applause echoed throughout the tall ceilings of M101, enveloping the room with joy and appreciation towards music.
While the performance appeared effortless, the preparation behind the scenes was rigorous. Looking backstage and going into the preparation behind the performance, the CMB students only had two 2-hour rehearsals. Each session, however, offered a valuable experience and a fun outlet for people to share their passion for music.
As the performers settled after the performance, junior Sarah Jiang reflected on her experience with chamber music, summing up how the intercommunication between all sections can create one harmonizing body.
“I’ve improved my ability to listen and respond to the ensemble as a whole,” Sarah said. “I’ve also become more mindful of matching articulations and phrasing within a chamber group — which weaves voices into a musical conversation.”
Jessica Chang and Zenas Hsu also hope that CMB teaches students beyond just their instrument.
“CMB and chamber music, specifically, is about sharing. It’s about being vulnerable. It’s about listening to others,” Hsu said. “It’s about putting ourselves in each other’s shoes, and those are real-life skills that anyone needs in their lives, in their families and in their work.”
