On April 9, the Upper School’s chamber orchestra performed their annual tea concert in Montgomery Foyer in Pressly Hall. This tradition has been carried on by Upper School orchestra director Joli Wu, who took on the role in 2022.
Unlike traditional orchestra performances in which the full ensemble plays together on stage, this event was all about smaller groups—duets, trios, and quartets—working together closely to prepare their pieces for performance at the tea concert, and with tango at the heart of the program, each group had the chance to explore a genre that is both technically and emotionally challenging.
“Part of our unit here at Westminster is engaging in small chamber ensembles to have the students perform, not just in the orchestral setting, but in the small ensemble settings so that they can really hear themselves, play their own parts, and collaborate together as a team,” said Wu. “In that way, they have a more well-rounded musical experience.”
Some pieces played at the tea concert included “Jalousie” by Danish composer Jacob Gade and “Por una Cabeza” by Argentine legend Carlos Gardel. “Jalousie,” also known as “Jealousy,” is a fiery orchestral tango that combines the classical European style with the rhythm of the tango, and was originally composed to accompany a silent film. Its sweeping melodies and sudden dynamic shifts make it a captivating piece to both perform and hear.
In contrast, “Por una Cabeza,” written by Gardel with lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera, tells a bittersweet story of love and addiction, using the metaphor of losing a horse race “by a head” to describe the highs and lows of romantic love. “Por una Cabeza” has also been featured in many notable films, including Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993) and James Cameron’s True Lies (1994).
Preparing for a concert like this requires not only rehearsal but also research and collaboration. The first step in this process is creating the chamber groups themselves based on the players’ abilities and which students would work best together. Then, selecting the pieces that match up with each is the next step. According to Wu, it is important to make sure that the pieces are interesting to the students, so that they are engaged, but also that the level of the piece is similar to what the students can play successfully.
“I listen a lot, I read, and actually, surprisingly enough, I print [the music] out or I order [the music], and we read through it with our clinicians, who help us to see if this is a good piece or not, if we even actually give it to the students” said Wu.
When asked about their favorite moments from the tea concert, there were many aspects that the students talked about, from actually performing, to the atmosphere, to listening to the pieces, to even the food.
“I would say my favorite memory of the tea concert was actually performing in front of the crowd,” said junior Rohan Gazula. “I think it was great to see a lot of the parents turn up, and other teachers from different parts of the school showed up to watch this, so I thought just the whole community of Westminster being able to listen to us play was the most rewarding.”
Junior Asha Laskar had another moment that she said was her favorite.
“I think that my favorite part is being able to hear everyone,” said Laskar. “It’s always great to hear what the seniors sound like and what truly advanced musicians sound like, so I think that’s always fun.”
This sentiment is also echoed by Wu.
“I just love seeing the students perform at the level that they’re performing at and seeing the beginning product to the end product, and seeing how successful they’re able to transform this piece that they’ve never even delved into until a month or two before the performance,” said Wu. “I think that the highlight is probably seeing them grow as musicians, and learn the pieces, and to be able to engage in a different setting than just an orchestral setting.”
Edited by Lucas Liu
