Fall 2020 Friendship Concerts

The Friendship Concert is a collaborative event where Orpheus friends and families team up to present ensemble performances! This year, we had to get creative to keep the tradition alive while remaining virtual. With a little patience, and a lot of hard work, our students were able to create special performances they can enjoy for years to come.

One for the Record Books

It was our biggest Friendship Concert ever, ​and we're pleased to say it was a resounding success! Of course this was only made possible by our amazing community, and with more than 75 groups and 100 individuals performing, the huge level of participation embodies the collaborative ideals that Orpheus Academy was founded on over 17 years ago.

Another reason this particular concert is unique is that we have more family performances than ever before! Family music making has always been an important aspect of the Friendship Concert, but with families spending more time together, many seized the opportunity to bond through making music. It really is wonderful to see the joy of the brothers, sisters, moms, dads, and cousins who were able to connect and create with each other.

​The Power of Collaboration

Working and learning together are vital life skills, and huge components in playing music. That's why we emphasize group learning and music making in every part of our curriculum, including group Musicianship classes and events just like this. In fact, cooperatively making music is an incredibly joyful experiences for any musician, which is why students look forward to the Friendship Concert every year. 

As students couldn't gather in-person to rehearse and perform, we relied on our wonderful teachers and staff to create a space for students to collaborate and perform together virtually. Consequently, some performances are separate recordings that were edited together. In these, one student would record their performance part and send it to their partner, who then listened and played their own part along with it. Our amazing editors then edited the separate videos together to create one, final performance.

Life Lessons

Through this process of recording separate videos, the students practiced important musicianship skills like keeping a steady beat, listening to each other, and understanding harmonies. Perhaps more importantly though, they practiced life skills like communication and problem-solving as they worked together to figure out performance details, practice their separate parts, and give each other encouragement and feedback along the way.

​Many students made multiple attempts and recordings before getting their performances just right, and they practiced for weeks before even getting to that step. So as we enjoy the music and celebrate the performers, know that every performance encapsulates weeks and months of hard work, trying, failing, and trying again. This is the process of learning, and the result is something truly special. Performers will remember not only their final performance, but the challenges they overcame to get there, and the togetherness and community that they shared to support them along the way.

Thank You!

We want to thank all of the students, teachers, editors, and parents who made this event possible! Something like this can only be pulled off with the help of an amazing community like you. Thank you and enjoy!