Veronica Pahomova co-editor-in-chief
The Chamber Orchestra and Symphonic Band took to the streets of Disney’s California Adventure on Wednesday, Nov. 16 to perform as guests in one of the theme park’s concert halls. With their last performance being two years ago, this group of selected performers felt both honored and exhilarated for their performance and time at the park.
“High schools from all over the country come to perform at Disneyland because of its special guest talent performance events. For the BHHS Band [and orchestra], this is both an honor and an exciting opportunity,” band and orchestra director Bill Bradbury stated in his itinerary email.
Entering California Adventure at 10 a.m., the students had about two hours to enjoy the rides until their call time at the Monster’s Inc. attraction where they were counted and given a rundown of the expected events to come.
“I love going on these kinds of trips! Although it can be difficult to make up the school work, spending time with your friends doing what you love (playing music) and then spending the day at an amusement park is pretty great,” trumpet player Nikki Melamed stated.
As the clock struck 12 p.m., the full orchestra filled the Hollywood Backlot Stage with about 30 minutes of a joyous Disney repertoire such as “Sleeping Beauty,” the “Little Mermaid” and “Wish Upon A Star.”
What many onlookers were not aware of, however, was the dedication and practice that went into each musical piece–especially by the selected band musicians. As viola player Yasi Pedram informed, the band members were responsible for not only attending the many after school and lunch rehearsals, but were also responsible for practicing during their own time in preparation for this performance since, unlike orchestra, they did not have time to rehearse in their class periods.
“This definitely helps my musicianship in terms of dedication and focus,” Melamed said. “We had to learn six or seven songs in a very short amount of time, which required an insane amount of practice and focus, both at rehearsal and at home.”
After a few more hours of rides and attractions, their day at the amusement park concluded at  6:30 p.m. However, from their first steps into the park, to their last performed note, all the way to the packed instruments on the bus, many of the members sensed the honor that was bestowed on their music group.