As seats begin to fill, the murmurs of anticipation spill over. A booming voice announces the concert will begin and finally the room is hushed, the sounds of drums soon begin to fill the room.

On October 25, the Cherry Hill High School East Music Department held its annual Fall Preview Concert. The Fall Preview concert is different from most of concerts held at East because all instrumental and vocal groups can showcase their talent by performing one song each. Fall Preview sets a benchmark for the various concerts that follow.

The Marching Band started off the concert dynamically with their selection from the 2016 Field Show “Polovtsian Dances”. As they marched their way up and down the aisle, the excitement from the audience grew intensely. The Color Guard added nice touch to the performance as well.

After their performance, the Wind Symphony performed the “Thunderer”, a quaint piece sprinkled with sounds of tinkling bells.

Dressed in their red robes, Vocal Workshop was the first vocal group of the night to perform. Under the direction of Ms. Lausi, they sang “Rhapsody”. A fellow Vocal Workshop member, Claire Wu (’20), accompanied them on the piano.

Despite some technical instrumental difficulties, Wind Ensemble did a fantastic job with their piece “Black Granite” with the help of their director Mrs.Walton.

Directed by Ms. Lockhart, Chansons then followed with their smoothing comforting song called “Spaseniye Sodelal”.

After the Chanson’s performance, the Freshman Wind Ensemble performed “Glacier Bay”. Following suite, Concert Choir sang their incredibly melodic version of “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Self-directed, the Belles of East performed “I See the Light” from Tangled. String Orchestra performed the alluring piece named “Explosive”. Voce performed “MLK”, a piece filled with hums. The Symphony Orchestra then performed “Egmont” (Opus 84) under the direction of Mr. Keleher. After, Stay Tuned performed” Love You Like I’m Gonna Lose You” which included soloist Courtney Bird (’18) and Cedric Middleton (’17). The Lab Band performed “Birdland”, which featured various solos. Jazz Standards then performed “Take Five” that included soloists Calen Murtha (’17) on the alto saxphone and Adam Crognale (’17) on the drums. East Singers then sang “Dwijavanthi”, an Indian Raga, which left the audience with chills. Jazz Band ended the concert with Duke Ellington’s Happy-Go-Lucky-Local from the Deep South Suite.

Throughout the night, the audience was dazzled with amazing music, which enhanced the mood for the night. The performers left feeling accomplished and the audience members left impressed.

“ It’s honestly amazing, I just keep remembering my first Fall Preview and how I had to watch every group during the concert… I wanted to be up there… there’s so much nostalgia,” said member of East Singers and Voce, Jack Breslow (’17).