The Middle School Symphony, the most advanced instrumental ensemble, performed its annual Chamber Music and Solo concert on Mar 6, 2026, in the Saperstein Theater. The program featured 19 performances ranging from small chamber groups and soloists to the full orchestra, including pieces from Ernő Dohnányi, Antonín Dvořák, and Ludvig Holberg.
Every year, the concert concludes with a piano concerto, a genre of classical music featuring a piano soloist accompanied by an orchestra. This year, the MS Symphony presented the third movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.2 with piano soloist Isaac Fujikawa ’29. The performance ended with a standing ovation from the audience.
“I strived to make the audience feel how I felt listening to this piece the first time, making the entire performance very enjoyable,” Fujikawa said.
Fujikawa also shared that the most memorable moment came at the end of the piece.
“My favorite part of the performance was at the end, when the orchestra recapitulates the main theme one final time, before ending with a flashy finish and rapid chords,” Fujikawa said. “Throughout the rest of my life at Harvard-Westlake, I will forever remember this moment.”
MS Symphony Director and Conductor Emily Reola highlighted the challenge the concerto posed for the ensemble.
“It was an ambitious and demanding work,” Reola said. “Their dedication and perseverance made the final performance a powerful and beautiful culmination of their hard work.”
The MS Symphony has rehearsed since their return from winter break, leaving only about two months to prepare their program. Chamber groups worked with guest coaches, and many students met outside of class time to rehearse.
Meya Lei ’29, who took the stage as a cellist in a trio that performed “Serenade for Strings, Op. 10, I. Marcia” by Dohnányi, explained the skills she had acquired to perform cohesively with her group.
“In preparation for the concert, my trio and I focused on communication with each other on stage, as well as tone quality and intonation balance,” Lei said. “We received a lot of support from our chamber coaches, and giving feedback to each other during rehearsals also helped,” Lei added.
Reola, who worked closely with the students throughout the entire preparation process, said chamber music presented a unique challenge for the young musicians, regardless of their familiarity with it.
“It has been wonderful to watch the Middle School Symphony grow while preparing for this concert,” Reola said. “There is no place to hide in chamber music, and that challenge leads to remarkable growth. It is especially rewarding to see each student’s growth from their individual starting point to the final performance.”
For Reola, the concert stood out even among many years of performances.
“After running this concert for 23 consecutive years, I feel pretty confident to say that this was my favorite Chamber Music and Solo Concert of all time,” Reola said, emphasizing how impressed she was by the students’ dedication and musical progress.
With the concert behind them, the MS Symphony will begin preparing its repertoire for the Anaheim WorldStrides Festival in April, where it will compete with other orchestras from across the region.
