Bows will hover over strings, fingers will poise on keys and lips will press to mouthpieces. Tonight when, the Paly Bands and Orchestra join for a 7 p.m. concert at the Haymarket Theatre.

This is the first concert this year in which the orchestra will join forces with the concert, symphonic, and jazz bands.

The orchestra will play the well-known "Three Choral Preludes" by J.S. Bach, Percy Grainger’s "Molly on the Shore," and "Hungarian Dance #5" by Brahms.

"The Three Chorale Preludes is my favorite [piece] because it flows and has elements in it that grab your imagination," freshman violinist Pauline Ngyuien said. "The piece incorporates every instrument perfectly."

"The only aspect that I think we need to work on is staying together [while playing a piece]. Sometimes we get so excited that a particular section is rushed, but as long as we listen to one another and watch Mr. Willner’s [conducting] we’ll be fine," Ngyuien said.

Being in the orchestra class itself is a joy to be in, according to freshman cellist Gaelyn Ong. "Orchestral people always have some sort of humor before class and before concerts…Each section has its own personality… The viola section is really wacky, though underneath all the humor they are all really serious performers. The Paly orchestra is a lot of fun considering that we all enjoy playing the music and we get along with each other," Ong said.

Not only will the orchestra make its debut, but also the Jazz Band will be playing in its first concert, performing "We’ll Be Together Again," composed by Francie Lane and Carl Fischer, "Bali Ha’ l" by Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Critical Mass," by Jeff Jarvis, and Oliver Nelson’s "Full Nelson."

"It’s fun seeing what other groups have been working on, especially if we [are familiar] with a piece that they are playing," said sophomore Lia Seth, a jazz and symphonic band trombonist. "Then we can sing along and critique it."

The symphonic band will perform R. Vaughan Williams’ "Toccata Marziale," and "Sleepers, Awake!" composed by J.S. Bach. The concert band will in turn play "The Water Music Suite" by George Handel.

"The ‘Toccata Marziale’ is tough… it tests the ability to play as a group and it’s tiring more than anything…it’s technically demanding," symphonic band flutist senior Susan Allen said, while describing "Sleepers, Awake!" as a cute and fun piece. "If I was in the audience I would enjoy ‘Sleepers, Awake!’ more, but as a player I enjoy the ‘Toccata Marziale.’"

According to Allen and Seth, the bands have not been rehearsing the pieces for long.

"The bands have only been practicing their pieces for one week to one month. We have to really crunch to get it done," Paly music instructor Jeff Willner said. "This time of year is extremely hectic, since the bands just came off of the last concert and before that the football pep rallies. We haven’t had a lot of time to practice."

According to Willner both bands did exceedingly well last concert. He said that it’s "nice that the two bands have seen and heard a recording of themselves so that they can work on specific performance aspects." Willner also noted that the mistakes or skills they notice on tape about the past concert they can apply to new music.

According to Allen, the previous concert affects how students will play because "you definitely have memories of the last performance. We really came together [in November] and hopefully will be able to on Thursday."

The concert tonight is free of charge. For more information contact, Paly music instructor Mr. Willner at [email protected].