Co-concertmaster Ellie Kim, a student at GBN, rises and directs the orchestra to render out three tuning notes. She returns to her chair in the front row, and all the musicians stomp their feet to welcome Kristin Meyer, one of the two head orchestra conductors at GBN and GBS, onto the stage. She raises her arms, and the first notes of the ”Finale from Swan Lake” ring out across the auditorium. The Glenbrook Symphony Orchestra (GSO) held their first concert of the year at South on Sunday, Nov. 22.

For the concert, the GSO Student Board planned and hosted a fundraiser for the charity, Water.org. Audience members who donated two dollars or more received a blue rubber wristband with the words “water=life,” and the GSO student board had an anonymous donor who matched their donation, according to Kim. Kim reflects on the fall concert.

“I [was] really excited, more excited than usual, just because we [had] this special thing going on that sets this concert apart from the previous ones that we’ve put on before,” Kim said. “We’re celebrating water, which is a basic element of life. We’re not just celebrating music-making this time.”

Kim hopes that audience members will be impacted by the concert and not just the music.

“We’re just hoping that this concert will inspire others to volunteer and help the community, and I’m sure this concert will be the first of many to combine music-making with outreach programs and volunteering,” Kim said.

Some of the songs from the concert included the “Finale from Swan Lake,” “Aquarium from the Carnival of the Animals,” “Navy Hymn: Eternal Father, Strong to Save” and “The Moldau.” “Aquarium” and “Navy Hymn” included visual aids corresponding to the music. During “Aquarium,” a video was played of a scene from the ocean depicting life living beneath the water, and “Navy Hymn” displayed a video of a ship sailing through storming waters.

According to sources, several students in GSO find the “Finale from Swan Lake” to be their favorite piece because of its intensity and volume.

“My favorite piece from the concert would be “Swan Lake,” Principle Clarinetist Kayleigh Markulis said. “I think it was really powerful towards the end, and it sounded really cool.”