According to sophomore cellist, Hannah Greenstein, a lot of work was put into preparing the musical, the “Wizard of Oz”.

“In chamber rehearsal we would practice the ‘Wizard of Oz’ music about once a week and that helped us get a feel for (it),” Greenstein said. “Over the last week we had tech rehearsals with the cast.”

Orchestra director Miriam Edgar said chamber has been participating in local musicals for the past three years.

“Two years ago we got asked for the first time if we would be interested in doing ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and being the orchestra for that,” Edgar said. “It’s a really good experience for students, Even though it’s a lot of work because they get to play next to professional musicians.”

Greenstein said the music chamber played was unconventional.

“(The music) was a lot of ambiance music and sound effects,” Greenstein said. “It’s not a professional theater and so you need to make noise somehow.”

According to Junior violinist Angelica Lopez, the songs were captivating.

“I thought it was really catchy,” Lopez said. “I found myself often thinking about it when we weren’t at rehearsal.”

Greenstein said being in the musical helped improve her work ethic.

“It definitely gave me some perspective on endurance because it’s a long show and it was a lot of late nights,” Greenstein said.

According to Edgar, the opportunity to participate in a musicale is valuable for students.

“It’s a really good experience that students can actually put on their resumes,” Edgar said. “As classically trained students it’s nice to have a non-classical real life work experience to see what it’s like and what goes into a production.”

Lopez said the experience was beneficial to her development as a player.

“I was able to work on my sightreading a lot, especially during the first few days because there was a lot of music,” Lopez said. “It helped me find a better ear for the orchestra to see how the parts are supposed to fit.”

Edgar said she appreciates how mature the students acted throughout the rehearsal and performance process.

“I’m really proud of students: they worked really really hard. They did a really good job and they were so professional,” Edgar said. “I think that that’s really cool that we have students playing next to professionals that (the students) are a representation of our school and that they have to be as professional as possible.”