Oak Park and River Forest High School announced on March 11 that its orchestra program will present spring concerts this month, continuing a music tradition that spans more than a century. More than 100 student musicians from the school’s Symphony Orchestra, String Orchestra, and Concert Orchestra are set to perform.
The upcoming concerts highlight the importance of music education in the community and offer students an opportunity to showcase their dedication and teamwork. The performances will take place in the OPRF Auditorium, with the Wind Ensemble & Symphony Orchestra concert scheduled for March 25 at 7:00 p.m., featuring junior pianist Benjamin Drucker as a soloist. The String & Concert Orchestra concert will follow on March 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Orchestra Director Patrick Pearson described the event as an “audible art gallery,” saying, “Visual artists hang their work on the wall. For us, it’s an audible art gallery. The audience comes to experience the music our students have been working on all year.” Pearson also emphasized the collaborative nature of orchestra participation: “In most classes, your work only affects you. In orchestra, every student’s performance affects the entire ensemble. Students learn collaboration, responsibility, and time management.”
One of this year’s highlights is Drucker’s performance of a Chopin piano concerto after winning one of three spots in OPRF’s annual Concerto Competition. Two additional winners will perform later this spring. The program also includes works such as Gustav Holst’s “St. Paul’s Suite” and “España,” along with a pizzicato piece called “Plink, Plank, Plunk.”
Pearson noted that while OPRF’s orchestra program is recognized as the oldest curricular high school orchestra in the country—a distinction dating back decades—current facilities pose challenges due to limited space and aging infrastructure. Planned improvements through district initiatives like Act 3 aim to provide modern rehearsal spaces for performing arts programs.
Oak Park and River Forest High School serves grades nine through twelve with an enrollment of 3,393 students during the 2019-2020 school year in Oak Park and Cook County according to the Illinois Report Card (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). Of these students, grade ten had the highest concentration at 26.2 percent; grade nine accounted for 25.6 percent; grade eleven made up 25.4 percent; and grade twelve comprised 25.3 percent according to Illinois Report Card (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). Demographically, the student body was composed of approximately 56.9 percent white students, 18.2 percent black students, 12.6 percent Hispanic students, and 3.8 percent Asian students during that period according to Illinois Report Card (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
Pearson encouraged families and community members to attend: “Come hear some great music,” he said. “Our students have worked incredibly hard, and it’s always special to share that with the community.”
