EBA's Opinion on Solo & Ensemble
Video by Joey Wardius & Lauren Gayle
Eastbrook Academy Orchestra students represented EBA in Solo & Ensemble. The event, which took place on Saturday, March 12, 2022 , is a festival that occurs throughout the country where students perform their solos or ensembles and receive a score from a judge. If the soloist is in the class A and receives a star, they are then invited to perform at State.
The 2022 Solo & Ensemble proved to be a successful one for EBA due to the well-deserved marks students received. Two students, Gilead Adams (‘23) and David Erickson (‘23) received invitations to State. Though this is an exciting opportunity for the two, it also means more practice and added anxiety for the soloists.
Adams, Class A soloist, said, “I’ve never been to State, so I hope it’ll be a good experience. I’m very nervous because I don’t know what to expect.” Adams also said, “I would rate my overall Solo & Ensemble experience a 7/10 because it was kind of nerve wracking.”
Erickson, Class A soloist, said, “It’s [making State] a happy/sad situation because I have to practice for it now and I’m not done with Solo & Ensemble, but it’ll be fun to go to State and perform again. I am not nervous about my performance.” Erickson also said, “I would give it an 8.3/10 because I went to State and that’s pretty cool, but um, yeah. Also I want to say 8.3 because Andric said 8.”
Though students in Solo & Ensemble classes lower than A were not invited to State, the Solo & Ensemble process was similar for them. The vigorous practice and performance anxiety is shared amongst all Solo & Ensemble classes.
Andric Roth (‘23), Class B soloist, said, “I would rate the experience an 8/10 because it's over now and it went well. I was well prepared by my instructor, but I would have changed the amount of time I practiced.”
Regardless of the hardships participants face, the scoring and feeling of accomplishment tends to compensate for the nervousness. The God-given talents of the EBA Orchestra have made not only the Solo & Ensemble participants proud, but the entire EBA community.