On Monday, the Austin Symphony Orchestra performed in the gym for a crowd of Fine Arts Academy students, partnering with a select number of Mac musicians for the final song of the concert. The piece, entitled “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius, was a favorite among the student musicians.

All upperclassmen, the student musicians selected by their directors included bassoonist Roan Alonzo, bassist Calder Carey, violinist Lucy Hamre, violinist Ileana Nicholson, flutist Madelynn Niles, cellist Elijah Salinas, violist Mason Shackelford, trombonist Tristan Wicall and trumpet player Noah Wyrtzen. The group had less than a week to prepare for the concert.

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Photos by Morgan Eye, Autry Guequierre and Devin Neal and courtesy of Lucy Hamre.

“We got the music, I would say, four days before the first rehearsal,” senior violinist Lucy Hamre said. “Thankfully, it was a pretty easy piece, though, so none of us really felt worried going into it. But it was very quick preparation.”

The first and only rehearsal was at the Long Center the night before the performance, and Hamre enjoyed meeting professional musicians who have years of experience in the musical world.

“I think our school orchestra is great, and we’re also really good at playing together and listening to each other, but these people have been doing it for so long. The lady I was sitting next to one night, I was like, ‘How long have you been part of this orchestra?’ And she said, ‘Since 1989.'”

Those years of experience come with a set cultivated performance methods, and Hamre liked to observe the Austin Symphony Orchestra musicians from the stage.

“One thing that was really interesting to me was watching them play, and how they all moved and leaned and watched the conductor and each other,” Hamre said. “It was just cool to be immersed in that environment and be able to observe it visually and also listen to it.”

Though she only had a few days to prepare for the concert, Hamre felt that it was a culmination of years of her life in the musical world.

“I’ve been going to Austin Symphony performances since I was literally, like, 6 or 7,” Hamre said. “To be able to play in it is a full-circle moment.”