Hersey, feeder schools collaborate for annual orchestra festival

William Porter plays cello with professional orchestras in Chicago, while he teaches private students at Harper College among others, and conducts chamber groups on the side.

But nothing in his background prepared him for the size orchestra he faced last Tuesday.

Nearly 220 musicians surrounded him in the gym at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights. They gathered for the school's annual Orchestra Festival, which seats junior high school musicians next to their high school counterparts.

"This is kind of overwhelming, even for me," said Porter, a Waukegan native who began playing the cello in Waukegan public schools at the age of 8. "But it's exciting as a music educator, and as a musician, to work with an orchestra like this."

Included in this mass symphony were students from MacArthur Junior High in Prospect Heights, River Trails Middle School in Mount Prospect, and the Arlington Heights Elementary District 25's chamber orchestra, all Hersey feeder schools.

Hersey sophomore violinists Delaney Harter and Natalie Gaynor, served as concertmaster and principal second, respectively.

Right from the stroke of his downbeat, Porter tackled the concert's most difficult piece, the famous "Russian Sailors' Dance," with its dramatic theme, based on a Russian folk tune, and carried out through variations during the eight-minute work.

Over and over again, Porter stopped to refine articulation and dynamics. In particular, he worked with the orchestra's largest section, its strings - including more than 150 violins, violas, cellos and bass players - to punctuate their bowing, and use speed to deliver the power of the music.

At the same time, he extolled the trombones, tubas and percussion to play with confidence and authority in performing some of the dramatic undertones of the score.

"I had no idea what to expect coming in," added Porter, who plays with the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra in Rosemont, and the Joffrey Ballet Orchestra. "But I've never worked with a group of students that hasn't risen to the occasion."

Christine Breverson, who directs Hersey's orchestra, said the festival combines two goals: it immerses junior high players in a high school program, while giving all of the musicians a chance to work with a guest conductor.

"We've been preparing this music for a while, but it always helps to hear someone else's interpretation," Breverson said.

Porter encouraged the young musicians to enjoy the moment, and feel the music they were making.

"It's empowering being able to do something that is much larger than themselves," Porter said. "They'll leave here tonight, knowing they've done something."