Ruth Cole

During this past Spring Break, Ayala Orchestra went to New York to participate in Carnegie Hall’s “Sound of Spring” Festival. Seen here, Ayala string orchestra smiles bright as they get ready to perform their set concert pieces.

The first notes reverberated across the silent auditorium, as the orchestra performed their set pieces boldly, yet eloquently. With confidence and with grace. As the music rose to a crescendo, each player’s individual melody weaved together to form a piece filled with unity and class. Moments later, the room filled with applause as Ayala’s string orchestra received the prestigious black and gold plaque, earning them the title of gold at Carnegie Hall.

From March 22-27, Ayala’s orchestra traveled to New York for Carnegie Hall’s “Sounds of Spring” Festival. Among fancy dinners and sightseeing in New York, the main focus of the trip was to highlight the orchestra’s talent.

Ayala’s success wouldn’t have been possible without the director, Mr. Timothy Trost. Two years prior, he had submitted an audition for Ayala’s string orchestra to play at Carnegie Hall, and out of all the auditions, Ayala was invited, among four other ensembles, to play at the prestigious venue. 

Ayala’s string orchestra played five pieces: “Queen of Sheba” by Handel, “Allegro” by Anderssen, “Symphony No. 3″ by Stamitz, “Concerto Grosso” by Teleman, and “Pieces of Eight” by Richard Meyer. These pieces, however, were not selected at random, but with careful consideration and thought to enhance the orchestra’s dynamic and sound.

“I’ve conducted at Carnegie Hall five other times and I know the acoustics of the hall, so I picked two of the five pieces and picked the repertoire based on the acoustics,” Trost said. “I kind of had an idea how it was going to sound, the music, the reverb, and how the cut off and releases of the pieces are going to resonate in the hall.”

With the orchestra’s dynamics and wide range in mind, they played in the famous venue, creating beautiful harmonies and exerting control over their music pieces. Throughout all their pieces, Ayala’s orchestra demonstrated a beautiful quality of musicianship that was highly praised upon.

“Some major strengths that we had were energy and a control of dynamics compared to the other ensembles that seemed just as skilled and had more players,” Alice Zhu (11) said. “We also were very united and had the ambition to do well.”

Once the night was over, everyone was elated, yet tensions were high as Ayala’s orchestra awaited their results and their standing. While they were in the airport in New Jersey about to head back, they received the news that they had won gold. The reactions of Ayala’s orchestra were ecstatic and full of joy when Mr. Trost had announced their standing, as well as the beautiful golden plaque.

“Our reaction was astounding because no one expected to win first place. Some classmates even expressed that we’d probably place third,” Zhu said. “We were in the airport and everyone screamed when he unveiled the plaque.”

Not only did Ayala’s string orchestra achieve the honor of winning a prestigious award at Carnegie Hall, but they also created and strengthened the bonds between themselves. 

“[During] this trip, I feel like everyone bonded more as family rather than just a group of friends,” Antonio Chen (9) said. “Special thanks to Mr. Trost for giving us this amazing opportunity and for being a great teacher.”

Both Mr. Trost and the orchestra put in a lot of effort into their performance and while winning gold at Carnegie Hall is an outstanding achievement, Ayala’s orchestra hopes to strengthen themselves both in dynamics and bonds for many years to come.

“I’m hoping to continue to build the orchestra and just keep making the musicianship stronger and that will maintain the level of excellence that the ensemble is now known for,” Trost said.