The orchestra will soon be playing to the tune of a newly renovated select string ensemble.

  Students are buzzing at the opportunity to play both their favorite songs and the classics, all set to the style of playing called chamber music, according to orchestra conductor and teacher Zachary Levi.

  “Chamber music is small ensemble music that was actually written from the time [when] wealthy aristocrats would bring in small ensembles to perform in their chamber,” said Levi. “It couldn’t be very large because it had to fit inside the chamber, and so that music was composed for those specific kinds of ensembles.”

  Usually played without a conductor and in groups of three to eight musicians, chamber music has been quite popular with orchestra students for years, including senior and first chair viola player Emma Gruner.

  “Small ensembles usually have more input on what they want to play since you know your voice isn’t necessarily lost in the crowd, and you know you can offer suggestions on a variety of ways how the ensemble is run,” Gruner said. “It’s probably more of a social gathering since it’s not quite as much pressure…this would be more of an outside activity.”

  Although the string players are certainly enthusiastic about  the new ensemble now, the disappearance of the school’s time-honored and traditional quartet was quite a shock for some who had dedicated hours of practice to it in the past, such as senior and second violin section leader Amy Whitesell.

  “I was really surprised when he said that the quartet wasn’t going to be the same,” said Whitesell. “I was really kind of worried…and then he explained how it was going to be different, and I was just really thrilled. The more, the merrier, you know? And it’s just fun working in a small group.”

  The differences between the old ensemble and new one are poised to make the new string group even stronger; instead of just four players, the advanced ensemble will consist of many musicians whose abilities stretch far beyond the standard orchestra student and will offer its members plenty of challenges to meet.

  Levi is looking for “motivated students who are going to work on their music outside of the classroom,” which shows how serious this new group will be.

  “I hope [the public] will receive it well, and get excited, and [that] it will be a representation of the school district and the music department that’s positive,” Levi said.

  Certainly Levi, who hopes that the group will find opportunities to play at community events as well as school ones, has big plans for the ensemble.

  “There’d be various community gatherings, like I know Chanticleer [a choir ensemble] has done things like Glen Rock Fest and performed at Brown’s Markets, and maybe we’ll get to do things like that,” Gruner said.

  In future years, Levi hopes that this new orchestra ensemble will continue to provide students with challenges and eventually become well-known and sought-after in the public.

  The students, however, have some pretty simple short-term goals in mind: in the words of Amy Whitesell, “I’m just really excited about it, and I hope that…we get the chance to make some really fantastic music.”