The John Jay High School Orchestra heads to Chicago for a musical trip, aiming to enrich students’ art appreciation and explore music’s future possibilities.
SAN ANTONIO — The John Jay High School Orchestra is tuning up for a major trip this Friday, heading to Chicago for a three-day musical adventure designed to deepen students’ appreciation for the arts and open their eyes to future possibilities in music.
For many of the 13 or 14 student musicians, this will be their first time in the Windy City. Accompanied by more than a dozen parent chaperones and led by orchestra director Heather Gonzalez, the group will perform a concert at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.
“I chose Chicago this year because of the diverse museums, the opportunity to see the world-famous Chicago Symphony in person, as well as the chance for the students to experience jazz up close and personal,” said Gonzalez.
The orchestra’s set list spans genres, reflecting the ensemble’s eclectic style. Students will perform a medley titled A Tribute to Elvis, the mariachi-infused La Bruja, the disco-pop anthem Dance the Night Away, and the feel-good track It’s Alright from Disney Pixar’s Soul—highlighting styles from soul and R&B to rockabilly and mariachi.
“The students at Jay are well-versed in playing styles that you might not normally expect from a string orchestra,” Gonzalez said. “These students love what they do and love sharing their passion with others. They are truly looking forward to the chance to share how ‘re-marbach-able’ John Jay Orchestra is.”
Among those performing is double bassist Caden Coleman, a John Jay sophomore who has had a standout year of musical growth. In addition to preparing for the Chicago trip with hours of daily practice, Coleman was the only high school student invited to record music for ForgeWithGeorge, a project by UTSA Assistant Professor of Violin, Dr. Nicole Cherry, celebrating the life and work of Afro-European composer George Bridgetower.
“Caden was the only high school student invited to participate in the recording of George Bridgetower’s Jubilee Quintet from 1809,” said his mother, Precious Coleman, who is also chaperoning the trip. “While people are looking at the exhibit [at Cambridge], people will hear that music being played in the background.”
The recording featured a university ensemble and offered Caden the chance to contribute to a historical restoration project.
“I was asked to supply my research for the Fitzwilliam Museum’s RISE UP exhibit at Cambridge University, (Cambridge, England) after several years of academic work, and I presented in March with a scheduled return in May and June,” said Cherry. “One of the recordings present within the exhibit featured a group of six from UTSA—myself, four students, and one faculty colleague—following a casual conversation with his mother and in the spirit of community outreach, I invited Caden Coleman to serve as a substitute after a UTSA student had to cancel.”
As written by The New York Times, George Bridgetower was the original dedicatee of Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata. The ever-charismatic prodigy faded into history, but is resurrected and revered in exhibits such as the one featured at Cambridge.
“He’s one of the first people of color to really write a piece like [Jubilee Quintet],” Coleman said of Bridgetower. “It helps me relax a lot when I play music. It allows me to tap into what a lot of these composers tried to feel when they wrote these songs.”
The Chicago trip isn’t just about performance and sightseeing—though Caden is excited to finally see “The Bean” at Millennium Park. The students will also participate in a master class at VanderCook College of Music, where they’ll get a firsthand look at life as a music major.
“This opportunity helps students to picture themselves as a music major…while they attend college and to see that, yes, it is a possibility and not out of reach for them,” Gonzalez said.
For many students, the John Jay Orchestra’s biennial trips serve as once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience life beyond their local community.
“In past years, the orchestra has gone to California,” Precious Coleman said. “It’s just her [Gonzalez’s] way of providing opportunities for her students which they might not have normally. These performance opportunities give them exposure and allow them to see where music can take them.”
Gonzalez said she hopes the experience in Chicago helps her students imagine themselves on bigger stages—whether in conservatories, symphonies, or classrooms of their own.