I’m usually opposed to orchestras attempting to play pop/rock music. Those things just never seems to turn out as well as one would expect. But this performace of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit by Western Branch Freshmen Orchestra is quite nice. As both an orchestra fan and Nirvana fan, I give it great kudos.
The orchestra is based at Western Branch High School (home of the Western Branch Bruins) in Chesapeake, VA.
This video has been making its way around the net pretty quickly, with good cause. It’s remarkable, particularly that string section playing the vocal melody during the verses.
This isn’t the freshman orchestra. This is the Western Branch “Bruin Sinfonia” Orchestra madeup of primarily 11th-12th graders, few sophomores, but no freshmen.
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tunequest Reply:
December 19th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Hi Joe, thanks for the comment. The guy who posted the video on YouTube two years ago called it the Freshman Orchestra, so that’s where I got my info.
Also, from the description of a second performance of the piece, he’s also the guy who arranged this version:
This time he does call it the “Bruin Sinfonia.”
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I know its been awhile since that comment about this not being a freshmen orchestra but this one is. I’m sitting in there somewhere. Both times actually I was a freshmen the first one and a junior the second.
Just so you know.
=]
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