When the members of the Waterford High School chamber orchestra were handed Piotr Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings" early this fall, the reaction for some students was one of worry.

Yet with the group's talent, the concern that accompanied playing such a challenging arrangement was a feeling that dissipated quickly.

"It's a very high level piece," junior viola player Michael Stankov said. "(But) this year we're tackling pieces we wouldn't have been able to do in the past."

The 34-member chamber orchestra, as part of "Music in our Schools" month, showcased its talent last Tuesday night as it performed a captivating rendition of the Tchaikovsky piece during its March concert.

The orchestra also played Danse Bacchanale from Samson and Dalila, a grand opera by Carmen Saint-Saens. The chamber orchestra was preceded by the high school's symphonic and concert bands, its concert choir and a string orchestra in a 90-minute performance.

Orchestra Director Joan Winters said the addition of a chamber orchestra class at the high school has been similar to adding an Advanced Placement course in another subject.

It has allowed musicians - many of whom started as young children - to thrive as a group. Winters, who has been teaching music at the school for more than 20 years, used the Tchaikovsky piece as an example to prove her point.

"It's unabridged - it's stuff that I play as a professional," Winters said. "The pace of the class is very fast."

The nine-member viola section also provided a key ingredient in the orchestra's performance. Junior Baird Welch-Collins said the section is close-knit and the group enjoyed Winters' music selection, the group's most challenging to date.

Ryan Kohl, another viola player, called the selection the orchestra played at its concert "very challenging" and "top level." The group started work on both pieces in October to get a strong handle on the two.

"It's always kind of alarming at first," Kohl said. "But you break it up and practice and it gets better and better."

The symphonic and concert bands and the choir were under the direction of Tim Fioravanti, who said he has taught music at the high school for 19 years.

The symphonic band highlighted its performance with "Pilatus: Mountain of Dragon" by Steven Reineke.

Afterward, the concert band ended its three-set performance with "Shaker Variants" by Elliot del Borgo. Fioravanti said it was a unique piece because it was written specifically for the band when del Borgo came to visit the school.

The choir performed "Danny Boy" and other songs and the string orchestra ended its set with "March for Carmen" by Georges Bizet.

JEFF.JOHNSON@THEDAY.COM