The annual fall band concert was postponed nearly 2 weeks after the devastating Camp Fire caused unsafe air quality conditions during the week preceding Thanksgiving break.

Originally scheduled for November 15, the well-rehearsed musicians were forced to reschedule their long-awaited concert due to a district-wide cancellation of school activities. Instead, the concert was held on November 28.

Symphonic band, concert band, orchestra, and orchestra winds all took to the stage. Unfortunately, some of the students who had originally committed to the performance were not able to attend on the rescheduled date.

Sophomore bassoon player Vishal Lashkari said that everyone who was able to attend tried their best.

Sophomore 1st chair trombone player Connor Johnson said, “I think we all played to the best of our ability despite the circumstance.”

According to Johnny Johnson, however, the smoke effects they faced were inconsequential compared to the victims of the fire that created it. “After all, the root cause of it all was the Camp Fire and there were many people who were suffering terribly because of that. Having to reschedule a little school concert didn’t seem all that tragic in comparison,” he said.

For sophomore trumpet player Ellie Olson, some of the music “could have been cleaner compared to how they were performed.”

While the layoff was a challenge, Lashkari said, “the rehearsal we had right before helped a lot.”

Along with their Winter Concert in February, the band will be attending a supplementary concert in San Jose after missing a separate trip earlier in the school year.

“I was very proud that we all worked our motivation back up and each group gave strong performances. I think years from now if someone listened to a recording of that concert in relation to ones in the recent past, they wouldn’t be saying, ‘Wow, what happened there?’ Quite the opposite. I think it would be more like, ‘They always put on a great show,” said Johnny Johnson.

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