Tuesday, November 19th was part one of the Band and Orchestra’s November concert,  Among the many monthly concerts at OCSA, part one of the Band and Orchestra’s November Concert that took place on November 19th was a great success, one that left the audience in anticipation for part two which will take place today.

The concert featured the Symphonic Band, Opus Orchestra, and Wind Symphony, under the direction of Justin Cusick and Rueff Frazao. Cusick, the high school band director and symphony co-director, says that he’s “very proud of the students” and adds how they’ve “really been working hard on this music”. Students who participated in the concert are also satisfied with the outcome, such as Cristian Farmiga, a member of the Wind Symphony, who says that “the performance was really good” and that “all of the groups performed really well.”

Nelson Placa, a member of the Opus Orchestra, says that they “worked as a group and accomplished learning all this music in about a two-week frame” and that “it’s like a whole family up in here.”

Being an artist never falls short of ups and downs, a statement Cusick proved by saying how they’ve “had a couple of rehearsals [that] were a little bit shaky as you would with any art form but they really pulled it together and did a really great job”. Many students shared this belief of improvement, one being Joymarie Rivera, a member of the Opus Orchestra, who says that they “improved a lot”, while noting that it was “a great experience.”

Jocelyn Chaves, a member of the Opus Orchestra, says that although they “did pretty great” and better than last show, she feels as if they could’ve done better.

Part two will consist of the Symphony Orchestra,  Chamber Orchestra, and Wind Ensemble. Among Cusick and Frazao, this show will feature guest conductors William J Mollineaux and Stephen Grindle.