Some nights just deserve a permanent spot on the blog. We truly thought Whit’s last “last” concert had already come and gone, but in typical teenage boy fashion, he surprised us with one more. And what a finale it turned out to be.
Whit had the incredible honor of learning from and performing on stage with Mark Wood, the original electric violinist for Trans-Siberian Orchestra, creator of the iconic Viper electric violin and a composer known for blending classical music with rock energy in the most unforgettable way. And unforgettable is exactly what this night was.
Through a special grant program, students spent time rehearsing and learning directly from Mark Wood before culminating in a full performance that felt more like an arena concert than a school orchestra event. Think symphonic rock, hard rock, heavy metal. The music was loud, dramatic and electric in every sense of the word. Lights flashing. Electric strings. Standing ovations.
And then there was Whit. He was featured during “Carry On Wayward Son,” which already held a permanent spot on my all-time favorite songs list long before this performance. Watching him up there completely in his element was one of those surreal parenting moments where time somehow speeds up and slows down all at once. It’s hard to explain the joy of watching your child become confident in something they genuinely love. Especially when you can still so clearly remember the boy struggling in “virtual” middle school in 2020, trying to juggle so many hard things and also getting his introduction to the cello.
The entire evening felt like such a celebration of music education, creativity and the remarkable opportunities these students have through the school orchestra program. Truly, the amount of talent on that stage was staggering.
And yes… perhaps this post is a little “mom scrapbook” coded. But some memories are simply too special not to keep.
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