By Shaylyn Austin
Editor-in-Chief
At the cue of a ringing gong, eight orchestra members lifted their bows toward their respective string instruments, filling the auditorium with the riveting sounds of the ChinaTown String Octet.
The performance included an array of cellos, violins and violas, played by seniors Carina Chong, Erick Chong, Chris Fong, Kirk La and Koh Shoda, juniors Leonard Chong and Danica Chong and freshman Alex Luo. The eight took “Best Group Act” at the 2014 Talent Show, an achievement the group sought after following its loss to the Sax Pack, a student saxophone band, in last year’s Talent Show.
“After watching the Sax Pack perform last year at the Talent Show, I thought that our musical act needed more visual presentation,” La said. “By adding humor and choreography to our music, we were able to embed a whole new dimension to the music.”
The octet successfully achieved this goal with its “Evolution of Music” performance, which included songs ranging from “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin to Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.” Complete with dance impressions of Michael Jackson and a crazed impersonation of a Britney Spears fan, the group captured the audience with its playful humor.
“My favorite part of their performance was the Michael Jackson part when [Leonard Chong] did the MJ toe stand and yelled ‘Ow,’” senior Lynn Wang said. “I think it’s really great that they put their hearts and souls into their performance.”
The members held group rehearsals leading up to the show in order to successfully produce the end result of a seemingly-effortless blend of musical genres. La, who founded the strings group in 2012, worked to splice all of the songs together and translate them to be performed by string instruments.
“Music has always been one of my passions,” La said. “I wanted the group to have fun and perform a type of music other than just classical. Pop music is fun, and it appeals to a wide array of people in the audience, so that’s the type of music we’ve been playing.”
Some of the original members left the group throughout the years, and others have joined, but La has continued to lead the group for the past two years. The original quartet won third place with its rendition of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” but last year’s Lady Gaga medley did not place.
“I’ve been in the music group with Kirk and other classmates for the Talent Show since sophomore year, so I wanted to be a part of it again since it is my last year at Mira Costa,” Carina Chong said. “Seeing people smile and being happy from listening to the music I make is what I enjoy most about performing.”
Although the group’s focus this year was to entertain the audience with its witty gimmicks and choreography, the raw talents of the musicians were more than apparent, as each of the students brought to the stage an endless resume of personal accolades. The most common is prize money won from competitions and opportunities to perform in regional, statewide and even national orchestras.
“Last summer, I was the first chair and concert master of an orchestra for a three-week tour in China,” La said. “The purpose was to spread Western music to that part of the world. It was an incredible experience, and I felt honored to be a part of it.”
Among some of the other most notable achievements include cellist Erick Chong’s semifinalist finishes in two international competitions over the past two summers in Hong Kong and Mexico, where he was the youngest contestant in both.
“I personally like to compare these international competitions to going to the Olympics,” Erick Chong said. “At international music competitions, I have to prepare an extremely vast cello repertoire to meet the requirements of each individual competition. Anyone who plays classical music would know how difficult this can be. I joined the octet because I simply thought it would be fun to play music that I typically do not work on.”
All of the graduating seniors of the group want to continue playing their instruments in college, and some plan to major in music. With five of the eight group members leaving, the three returners, Danica and Leonard Chong and Luo, will have to recruit if they plan to continue the tradition.
“The octet was a totally different experience away from my solo violin playing, and it was fun to do the Talent Show with my friends,” Leonard Chong said. “I am not too sure whether I want to continue next year or not because the bulk of our group is made of seniors. It wouldn’t be the same without them.”
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