The Oak Park and River Forest High School music department hosted its 11th annual Prisms Of Winter Concert in the school auditorium on Dec. 12 and 13.
Prisms of Winter is the most highly anticipated concert of the year, both for the students involved and the community. A 90-minute performance of uninterrupted music, Prisms is carried out by every student in the OPRF music department, along with student-created ensembles who auditioned.
The concert was conducted by OPRF Choir Director Meredith McGuire, Orchestra Director Patrick Pearson as well as Band Directors Anthony Svejda and Brendon Culloton. In addition, Linda Van Dyke, director of instrumental music at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, conducted the bell choir, a group from the church.
Preparing for Prisms can be a daunting experience for all, but the outcome is worth it, according to participants. According to Tate Van Duinen, a junior in an a cappella choir, the emotion projected from the musicians during the finale can be sensed throughout the whole auditorium. “It’s the most impactful moment of the entire performance,” he said. “I feel weight in my chest from how intense it is, having every single music student at OPRF performing. It’s magical and inexplicable. You’d have to be there to know.”
When asked to describe the experience to someone who has never participated or attended, Van Duinen shared what one could expect to experience while in attendance at the performance. “It’s very immersive,” he said. “Your neck might hurt a little bit because your head is whipping from side to side. It’s uninterrupted, with no room for applause, and full of constant movement. It’s very unique and astonishing to see everything come together all at once in such a grand way.”
Elia Wei-Henrys, a senior and member of the Wind Ensemble, reflected on the last four years of her participation in Prisms, and what that means to her. “This is going to be the last big concert I do,” she said. “I think it’s a really special experience to be able to put something on like this.”
“It’s an opportunity for everyone in the music program to show how hard we’ve been working and what we’ve been working on,” she added.
OPRF freshman Jazz Olympio, a member of String Orchestra, expressed his anticipation as a first-time participant in Prisms. “I’m looking forward to Concerto Grosso because I love the different harmonies and parts that are playing together. I’m also playing a concertato piece, which is basically a solo.”
When asked what his involvement in Prisms means to him, Olympio expressed his love for music as well as the impact it can have. “I’ve always loved music, classical music specifically, but I feel like it’s just a great opportunity to see what music can do and how transformative it can be to different people.”
