Music of the Night

Music+of+the+Night

October 11th marked Mr. Dustin Frieda’s debut as a Hickman orchestra extraordinaire, after he appeared on stage for the first time in front of friends and family for the annual, all-strings fall concert. All three of HHS’ orchestras, from the mostly freshmen Chamber Orchestra to the prestigious Symphonic group, performed pieces they had been preparing since school began. This is the first of four concerts the orchestras  will present this year, two per semester, and Frieda has risen to the challenge. Taking over after last year’s director, the bombastic Ms. Megan Maddaleno, was no mean feat, but Frieda is no stranger to the orchestra world or the teaching scene. He’s been teaching music for several years around Columbia, though he’s played the viola and violin for much longer, and his wife also teaches orchestra over at Oakland Middle School.

This concert was a testament to his organization and experience, as it went off without a hitch, with the Symphonic group presenting a stunning rendition of Mozart’s famous “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” and the freshmen surprising everyone when Frieda walked offstage just before a song began and they continued to play chamber music style– That is, conductorless performance. The intermediate bunch, the largest of all three orchestras, had their moment to shine during the finale of their performance, flowing through three movements of Vivaldi’s “Concierto En Re Menor.” All in all, for the eighty or so students in orchestra, the night was a triumph, and Frieda was much of the same mind, leading to a great beginning of the orchestra season and, hopefully, a model for other concerts yet to come.