String and Chamber Orchestras followed with the aptly named "Simple Symphony." The second movement of the symphony, "Playful Pizzicato", was played by plucking the strings of instruments rather than drawing bows. It had the effect of a tightly-strung guitar orchestra, enhancing changes in volume by keeping the music relatively quiet. But as the music went on, the plucks became less focused and off-time—more a strum than a pluck. This was a problem found throughout the symphony, especially in slower portions like "Sentimental Saraband." Unfortunately, "sentimental" translated to continuously slow down, decrescendo, nearly stop, and start again. It was very easy to lose track of both the beat and the melody.
The orchestras, choirs, and wind ensemble came together to finish the concert with the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Visually, it was impressive to see not only a full orchestra but also a choir assemble on stage. It might have been better to have fewer performers, since in many of the songs the background choristers were lost in rest of the sound.
As all of the finishing pieces were drawn from musicals, the attention was focused on vocals of soloists. Senior Clare So did a good job trying to hit the very high ending notes in Phantom of the Opera, accompanied by a sensual performance by senior John Chang (several girl audience members screamed). "Starlight Sequence" starred junior Charles Huh, who managed to sound just like a Disney hero while wearing suspenders and skinny jeans.
