It was a cold January evening.  Piles of snow still stood along the roads.  The cold air froze everything and slowed everything it could not freeze.  Yet a small group of travelers, 18 strong, arrived in this land that evening, undaunted by the weather or their long 12-hour journey.  For they had come to add to the ranks of an orchestra assembling nearby, at the Frankfurt International School, Frankfurt, Germany, and to unite January 20-24 with 72 musicians representing American Curriculum schools from Vienna, Doha, Japan, London, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and 10 other schools from around the world.  Their wish was to join together in song so warm and so moving that not even the cold could dampen the spirits of those who heard it!

This was the AMIS Senior Honor Orchestra.

In all, 16 musicians and two teachers from both campuses of Shanghai American School attended this prestigious international event. Five students were from Pudong: violinists, Jonathan Liou, Leslie Kinnas, Levin Zhu, Amy Zhao and viola player, Julia Deng and Linda Hu, PD Elementary Strings teacher.   Eleven students were from the Puxi:  violinists,  Amber Chang, Sam Wu, Alexander Bi, Jocelyn Cho, Angela Hsich, Ethan Tsai; viola player, Bonnie Ihn along with cellists, Leo Cheung, Chloe Kim, Julianna Ko and Francis Yang plus Ms. Mary Siew, PX HS Strings teacher. All students had auditioned for the orchestra by submitting recordings of their best playing to AMIS, the Association of Music in International Schools.  Among 179 who auditioned for a place in the Senior Honor Orchestra, 72 were selected by blind-audition.  

Practice started before Christmas break on the three demanding pieces, Britten’s, Simple Symphony for String Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 20, Elgar’s, Serenade for String Orchestra and Harry at Hogwarts from “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” But all the individual practicing could not prepare them for the full, powerful sound that was to come from three days of rehearsal at the Frankfurt International School.  Led by guest conductor Jonathan Mann, founder and Artistic Director of the Cardiff Sinfonietta and conductor of the famed BBC Proms among other events was superb! The musicians worked to hold the beat, to listen to the other parts, to play together as one, even while some were trying to shake off jetlag.  New friends were made as the group caught a few breaks between rehearsals, explored the old Frankfurt town, and even played together in an informal game of basketball.

On the Saturday night of the concert, the audience packed the auditorium, some sitting in front, some crowding the balconies high up on the sides, and some even sitting behind the orchestra.  Many were not even in the auditorium, but instead were watching the concert streamed live online.  So many eyes were fixed upon them, from so many directions, that for the musicians in the center, it was hard not to feel even a bit nervous.  

Nevertheless, after going through three days of intense and sometimes tiring rehearsals together, the musicians in the orchestra played as if seized by emotion.  One moment, the orchestra sang playfully, without a care in the world; the next, it cried in agony and despair.  Music and emotion together resonated in the auditorium, moving the hearts of all present.  With one lively finish, the orchestra received enthusiastic applause from the audience, touched by the great music that night.

Following a day of exploring some of Frankfurt, another day would pass before the musicians from Shanghai American School returned home to deal with jetlag symptoms.  But the memories of those three days would stay — the three days when musicians from Pudong and Puxi, and indeed, 17 other international schools, came together in fellowship and played great music together, as the unique 2010 Senior Honor Orchestra.

By Jonathan LIOU, Pudong Campus violinist, and
John LEONARD, Pudong Campus HS Strings Teacher

This is the fourth year in the Festival (see story by LIOU and LEONARD above) for the Puxi campus. It’s a pleasure to report that a phenomenal number of 16 young string players from both campuses of Shanghai American School  were offered places. Unfortunately, Emily Weng, Sean Liu, Yolanda Yeh and Jimmy Zheng could not make it to Frankfurt.  They all played with the technical expertise and the passion required of them. Grueling three-hour rehearsals twice a week paid off! I know the students gained insight to the intricacies of performing British music. Young though he was, Maestro Jonathan Mann molded the 70-piece orchestra into a tight ensemble of subtle romance in the Elgar’s Serenade and controlled exuberance in Britten’s Simple Symphony.  British music scholars would have applauded these faithful interpretations of the chosen repertoire.  We ended the four-day Festival with fun and frolics in freshly fallen snow, a walk in the woods and three hours of bowling before travelling to the airport.  Cheryl Brown and Linda Hu accompanied the players as chaperones and provided awesome support.        —Mary Siew, HS Music Teacher, Puxi Campus