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On May 30, Rock Ridge Guitar showcased their final performance of the year at the spring concert. This performance had been in the works since the January winter recital. The spring concert was the last performance for the seniors in the guitar program.
The program was split into four main performances, with Dr. Nataša Klasinc-Lončar directing all parts. The first group on the stage was the Combined Guitar Ensemble. This group was made up of both the Advanced Guitar Ensemble and the Artist Guitar Ensemble.
The Combined Guitar Ensemble, consisting of 44 musicians, performed the songs “Wild Mountain Thyme,” composed by Luc Levesque and “Las Ramblas” by Natalie LaChance. Once their performance was over, the Advanced Guitar Ensemble performed “Piel Canela.” This ensemble of 22 people is made up of mostly underclassmen.
The guitarists have been preparing for this performance for quite some time. “[We’ve been working] since the last concert, which was the winter concert,” sophomore Anna Gonzalez said. “We got the pieces right after [the concert] and we’ve been working on [them] ever since.”
The preparation for the performance consisted of continuous practicing and rehearsing of the songs, both in private and during school. “[Practicing] is a lot to get used to. Since we play every single class, [the pieces] get really easy and we start memorizing [them],” Gonzalez said.
This performance was the last one that 2024 seniors participated in, and some felt the stress to make their last performance perfect. “At first, [there was] more pressure [for everybody], [but] it was still a normal show,” sophomore Thiago Barnes said.
Following the Advanced Guitar Ensemble, the five seniors in the guitar program performed the piece “Habanera,” arranged by George Bizet, to honor their last performance. The seniors were given the choice to perform the song picked by the teacher, which they all ultimately decided to do. This final performance was accompanied with a round of applause from the parents and the underclassmen.
Lastly, the Artist Guitar group began their performance. The Artist Guitar Ensemble is responsible for performing more complex pieces, and is mostly made up of upperclassmen. This ensemble also consists of 22 players, and they played “Pulsar,” composed by Vincent Lindsey-Clark and “Mediterranean Dance” by Miroslav Loncar. The “Mediterranean Dance” piece was favored by the guitarists, who enjoyed both practicing and playing it on stage.
For “Mediterranean Dance,” the group used a special instrument called the Soprano Guitar. There were two parts played by the instrument. Part one was played by Gonzalez and part two by sophomore Parth Jaiswal.
The Rock Ridge guitar program will continue in the next school year, with a first performance held in the fall.
