This year Concerto Night was held on Wednesday, March 2 at 7:00 PM in Bingham’s Auditorium. Concerto Night is an annual concert at Bingham that gives musicians the opportunity to perform a solo or to be part of the accompanying symphony. 

Being chosen as a soloist is a major accomplishment. The students that want the chance to be selected spend countless hours choosing their piece and preparing to audition it. 

“I listened to about every piece under the sun to decide what I wanted to play…A lot goes into picking a concerto: difficulty, technicality of the piece, and personal style. You want something you know you’re going to love because you have to spend hundreds of hours with that piece, practicing it,” said Brynndi Troff, orchestra president.

After months of hard work, the students auditioned their pieces in December.

Dr. Thompson talks about the audition process by explaining that the audition includes both him and “a guest private string teacher listening and watching all of the candidates perform the solo piece that they’ve prepared for the audition—and together [we] decide which 10 candidates performed the best.”

The students that are not chosen at auditions get to accompany the soloists with the rest of the orchestra. Everyone then works together to perfect the pieces that were selected. They all put in practice both at home and in class to make sure that they are prepared for their performance.

The soloists that performed at Concerto night this year included

• Brain Ferguson (cello)—Goltermann Cello Concerto
• Dawson Snyder (cello)—Haydn Cello Concerto 
• Megan Ott (viola)—J.C. Bach Viola Concerto in C Minor
• Faye Wright (violin)—Viotti Violin Concerto 
• Morgan Nelson (violin)—Paganini Violin Concerto #1
• Brynndi Troff (violin)—Saint-Saens Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso 
• Kate Sainsbury (piano)—Mozart Piano Concerto #17
• Emma Hooper (piano)—Mendelssohn Piano Concerto
• Mason England (trumpet)—Haydn Trumpet Concerto 
• Nathan White (french horn)—Mozart Horn Concerto #3

The students who participated in Concerto night did an amazing job and all of their dedication and perseverance paid off when they got to show everyone what they have been working on. 

“I have worked very hard to get here and it feels great to get recognized for the hard work,” said Nathan White, band student.

Overall, students enjoy being able to showcase their talents and they love the experience that Concerto night gives them.

“Concerto night is a great opportunity for young musicians to show what they’ve got,” said Troff.