The orchestra program is preparing for the winter concert, which will take place on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

The concert will be a limited in-person event; the audience is limited to two people per performing student. 

“For our concerts we usually have receptions,” junior Ke’Juan Thompson said. “It’s a big gathering and a lot of people come, but this year, it’s a little bit different.” 

Orchestra has been preparing for the concert since November. Time spent during in-person training has been limited due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, so students spent more time preparing outside of school.

“We started later than [when] we normally start, but I think we started at a good time,” sophomore Daniel Abraham said. “We meet every day and then we practice at home when we need to.”

More than half of orchestra is virtual, and virtual students can choose whether or not to participate in the concert, so the in-person orchestra for the concert is smaller than previous years. Students are also spaced six feet apart in order to socially distance, resulting in a seating arrangement that is less dense.

“I think our biggest musical challenge right now is being able to hear each other from a farther distance,” orchestra director Matthew Cautivar said. “Usually the performers sit closely together and share music stands. [It] is more important [now, more] than ever, for the orchestras to still sound like full orchestras.”

Although the orchestra has been preparing since November, the concert was officially approved recently after taking COVID-19 safety risks into consideration. 

“I was worried going into the year that this year was going to be a big bust, and [that] I wouldn’t be able to do as much as I would like, but I think that we’ve handled things really well and I think the winter concert is going to be really fun,” senior Aiden Turner said.

The orchestra is preparing Christmas classics such as “Jingle Bells,” “Chanukah Song” and songs from the soundtrack of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Although the audience is limited, people are encouraged to view the recording of the winter concert.

“Music is a time machine and a teleportation device,” Cautivar said. “It can communicate through time and space. We will always find a way to share music under any circumstance.”