Twenty HCP orchestra students joined together with orchestra students from other Oklahoma City schools for the 2017 All City Orchestra performance on Friday, Sept. 29.

All City Orchestra is an annual event bringing together Oklahoma City orchestra students, under the direction of a guest conductor, for a day spent learning new music and putting on a concert that evening. Each orchestra teacher selects up to twenty of their top students to participate in the event, held at Classen School of Advanced Studies. Other participating high schools included Harding Fine Arts Academy and Northwest Classen High School. Participating middle schools were Classen SAS, Taft and Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School.

Senior Chase Leach has participated in All City since his freshman year. “It’s always fun. The conductor this year is the OSU orchestra conductor, Dr. Taylor Dickey, who I had met before and liked. I was no less impressed with him at All City,” Leach said.

Sophomore Victor Nguyen served as concertmaster, which, as he put it, meant giving suggestions on music and instructing the orchestra how to play certain portions. “I also got to talk to the conductor, Dr. Dickey. He was really cool to talk to. I had a great time,” Nguyen said.

The role of concertmaster is usually filled by a senior, but most of Classen’s advanced seniors did not participate.

The pieces played this year were “Allegretto” by Beethoven, “Sleeping Beauty Waltz” by Tchaikovsky, “Star Wars” by John Williams, and “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3” by Bach.

Food was provided to the students by Bravo!, Olive Garden, Domino’s, B.J.’s, and HCP parents.