From rehearsal to Spotify: Orchestra beyond the classroom

By Ava Bourdeau, Staff Writer

One of the most significant pride points at Samo is its massive music program. Boasting seven groups, the orchestra program, headed by Jason Aiello and Jim Wang, has indoctrinated a love of music within thousands of students over the years. For students like Sophie Yera (’21) and Arya Shapouri (’19), it has even given them the knowledge and inspiration to produce their own original work. 

Yera released her first single, “Oblivion”, on Spotify last August 2020. Since then, she’s come out with a four-track extended play (EP) called “Bad Trip”, also available on Spotify. Now a senior, Yera has been a member of the Samo orchestra program for the entirety of her highschool career, and currently plays violin in the Symphony Orchestra. She attributes much of her success in producing clean, high-quality music to what she learned as a violinist in school.

“Music classes have helped me understand balance and how to blend music together to make sure nothing is overpowering; this goes hand-in-hand with dynamics which are really emphasized in music classes,” Yera said. 

Orchestra directors Wang and Aiello take special care to dive deeply into musical concepts which will equip students with the knowledge they need should they want to become professional musicians. Topics such as style, theory and even musical history are explored, making for a well-rounded music education. The stellar quality of the course has allowed students such as Shapouri to find success in the music world after highschool.

Shapouri graduated from Samo in 2019 and has gone on to study violin performance and political science at the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time at Samo, Shapouri was a dedicated member of the program, even leading the Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster for two years, as well as winning awards for his performances with the Chamber Orchestra. 

On Dec 30, 2020, Shapouri released his first ever single, “N95”, on Spotify, which has reached nearly 35,000 streams as of early Feb. Like Yera, Shapouri attributes the quality of his own music to what he learned during his time at Samo. 

“Playing in [an orchestra] gives you the most interactive version of music-making you can have... When it comes to the mixing it’s a breeze because you're used to directions from orchestra teachers pertaining to the scope of the sound,” Shapouri said. 

Both Yera and Shapouri consider orchestra to be a valuable experience. Yera often finds herself inspired by her fellow musicians, even sending her unfinished music to them for advice. The community provided by the program has upheld and inspired countless young musicians, and has imparted not only knowledge of music, but also a love and appreciation of the art form. 

“I had so many orchestra friends that I looked up to as musicians and as people. The whole music world of Samo was a totally different community and I definitely would not have continued with music without it. Being at a school that values music built a lot of my confidence,” Shapouri said. 

Both Shapouri’s single and Yera’s EP are available to stream on Spotify. Yera’s EP can also be found on YouTube Music.