The chime of sleigh bells, the vibrations of a harp and the ring of an organ echo in the orchestra room as students prepare for their upcoming winter concert on Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m. They look forward to donning festive headgear, such as Santa hats and reindeer antlers, on concert night– an exception to the formal concert dress made for the winter concert. For now, however, they diligently practice their festive pieces at home and actively participate in rehearsals.

“All the classes just got their music and they’ve been working hard so hopefully everything will be ready,” said orchestra officer Allyson Tang.

Each orchestra concert has a special meaning to the students. For instance, the Halloween concert was the most informal because students could wear costumes rather than their concert attire; the last concert of the school year shows the progress each orchestra has made, making the event sentimental. Tang believes that the winter concert provides an inclusive experience for people in the Katy region.

“I think the winter one in general is the most connected with the community because… we have some of our groups playing before the concert as a pre-show,” said Tang. “And then during the concert the songs we play are all Christmas classics so it’s appealing to the entire community.”

Leading up to the winter concert, the orchestra’s student-run social media team will promote the event online. Then a few hours before the concert, the crew chief and stage managers will lead volunteer students in the set up, such as placing chairs in orchestral formation and building the sound shells. Tang looks forward to the Symphony String’s rendition of “Sleigh Ride,” where the orchestra auctions off the opportunity to conduct the piece.

“We do it every year so I think it just makes one part of the Christmas concert seem special,” said Tang. “And it’s always funny to see who conducts.”

The Nestline congratulates the following orchestra students for their achievement in earning a spot in the Texas All-State orchestras:

• Bella Chan – Cello
• Arjun Chandupatla – Violin
• Eugene Chung – Viola
• Jake Jiang – Violin
• Lydia Kang – Cello
• Kendall Porter – Cello
• Andrew Yang – Cello