String Ensemble: Winter/Spring 2026

THE YOUNG PRINCE AND THE YOUNG PRINCESS

From Scheherazade

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Robert A. Curry · Directed by Kett Lee

This is an excerpt from the third movement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s iconic symphonic suite “Scheherazade” based on the Middle eastern folktales One Thousand and One Nights. It is a sweet and dreamy piece that paints the picture of two young royals enjoying a calm and magical moment.

Listen

Getting started with this piece (review before first rehearsal)

Before the first rehearsal:

Print your music
Listen to the soundfile
Make any necessary markings

The music is in 6/8 time, which is felt in two large beats, each divided into three eighth notes—think “oom-pah-pah, oom-pah-pah.” Listening regularly to an original recording and practice soundfile will help the sound and style settle in your ear, making practice and ensemble playing much easier.

THE RITE OF SPRING

“Introduction,” “Dance of the Young Maidens,” “Ritual of the Rival Tribes”

Igor Stravinsky, arr. Carrie Lane Gruselle · Directed by Kett Lee

Originally a ballet and orchestra work, this piece is famous for its driving beats and unexpected musical twists. It captures the intensity of ancient rituals and the arrival of spring.

Did you know? The premiere of this piece in 1913 caused a riot!

Listen

Getting started with this piece (review before first rehearsal)

Before the first rehearsal:

Print your music
Listen to the soundfile
Make any necessary markings

There are a couple of new techniques for the cello section. In measures 12–13, you’ll see tr#, which means a trill on C?. Keep your first finger down on B and tap your third finger (C?) continuously while sustaining a steady half-note bow. It’s actually quite easy—I’ll demonstrate it in rehearsal. In measures 95–97, there is a tremolo. Use the upper half of the bow and play very fast; it’s more about the effect than precision, and it will sound great when everyone does it together. Accents (> heavy notes) are especially important in this piece, so please take a close look at them and be sure to incorporate them into your practice.

Want to learn more?

SONG WITHOUT WORDS

“I’ll Love My Love”

Gustav Holst, arr. Christina Hans · Directed by Oliver Chang

This gorgeous piece by Holst is a setting of the English folk song "I'll Love My Love." It's tender, beautiful, and a heartbreaking mix of despair and hope.

Listen

Getting started with this piece (review before first rehearsal)

Before the first rehearsal:

Print your music
Listen to the soundfile
Make any necessary markings

Throughout the piece, the melody will be passed between the violins, violas, and cellos, meanwhile a lovely winding countermelody accompanies. The trickiest part will be learning to pass both melody and countermelody between sections, so while preparing, listen to the recording, and find out if your section is continuing something from before, and/or passing that idea on to another section. The key comes back to feeling long phrases, and sustaining through longer notes, and listening across the orchestra.

THEME FROM JURASSIC PARK

John Williams · Arr. Robert Longfield · Directed by Oliver Chang

Hold on to your butts, this is our most serious piece of music yet! And I unapologetically love this piece. The music simply soars and warms the heart!

Listen

Getting started with this piece (review before first rehearsal)

Before the first rehearsal:

Print your music
Listen to the soundfile
Make any necessary markings

We'll largely be working on tone and creating a long, connected phrases. Focus especially on sustaining through the dotted rhythms, imagine you're trying to sing full phrases with a single breath, creating no breaks in the line. In terms of tone, we'll need to balance between playing close enough to the bridge to give power and core with weight and the speed of the bow to give air and glow to the sound. Re-watching the 1993 classic is also highly recommended.

POLKA PARTY!

Directed by John McLellan

We will be playing Polka Party! as our joint strings & band piece for the concert. It’s a fun, upbeat, crowd-pleaser—an encore-type piece that will be fun for us to play and fun for the audience to listen to (and dance!).

It’s a medley of three dance pieces—Pennsylvania Polka, Just Because, and the Chicken Dance—and will definitely get your toes tapping. (As the quote attributed to John Philip Sousa says, every concert needs head music, heart music, and foot music—this is definitely in the last category!)

Joint Rehearsals

Getting started with this piece (review before first rehearsal)

Before the first rehearsal:

Print your music
Listen to the soundfile
Make any necessary markings

For flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, horn, or violin

At the end of the Chicken Dance, your part has some fast-moving 8th notes.

Too fast? The music also contains an alternative - the note stems pointing down represent quarter notes that you can play instead of the 8th notes if you need/want to.

Soundfiles

There are two soundfiles available:
One complete soundfile and another just for strings so you can hear it the way it will sound in your rehearsals, without percussion and wind instruments.

See below for practice timings for the soundfiles to help you sync with the music.
Try to listen to the piece before the first rehearsal to get familiar with it
Sound file tip! Use earbuds/headphones when practicing with soundfiles → You will have a better experience!

Make sense? If not, please ask!

Practice Soundfile Timing Guide

Use these timestamps to follow along with the practice soundfile while practicing.

Times may vary slightly on different devices.

Countoff: 0:15
Beginning: 0:19

Pennsylvania Polka

5 — 0:23
13 — 0:31
21 — 0:40
29 — 0:48
37 — 0:56
41 — 1:01
49 — 1:09
57 — 1:17
65 — 1:26
75 — 1:36

Just Because

79 — 1:40
87 — 1:48
95 — 1:57
103 — 2:05

Chicken Dance

111 — 2:13
115 — 2:19
126 — 2:41
134 — 2:49
142 — 2:58

Strings Repertoire

THE YOUNG PRINCE AND THE YOUNG PRINCESS

From Scheherazade

THE RITE OF SPRING

“Introduction,” “Dance of the Young Maidens,” “Ritual of the Rival Tribes”

SONG WITHOUT WORDS

“I’ll Love My Love”

THEME FROM JURASSIC PARK

Joint Piece (Band & Strings)

POLKA PARTY!

For flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, horn, or violin

Soundfiles

Pennsylvania Polka

Just Because

Chicken Dance

Sudbury Valley New Horizons Music, Inc.