History was established on stage at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
The annual Winter Orchestra Concert was performed on the evening of Thursday, January 8, at Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s newly refurbished auditorium.
And while the sounds of these gifted high school musicians were produced as expected, a first was achieved that night before a delightful audience.
To cap this spectacular evening of music, the students joined forces to play a final song, delighting the audience and the high school’s dedicated Orchestra Director, Hsiao-Yu Lin (Sherry) Griggs.
“All ensembles joined and performed a combined piece- Howl's Moving Castle, at the end of the night,” Ms. Griggs revealed. “This is the first time in Bridgwater-Raritan High School Orchestra history to have a combined three orchestras perform at the concert!”
The concert opened with the performance of four songs produced by the Ninth Orchestra. Piu Vivace delivered one song, followed by four renditions each from the Concert Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra.
Then, before the curtain closed, the students played a special performance of Howl’s Moving Castle.
“The Orchestra students did a great job last night! This week was particularly challenging at Bridgewater-Raritan High School due to the power outage and concerns about auditorium availability,” Ms. Griggs said. “However, the students were perseverant and rose to the occasion like pros! I couldn't be prouder! Each ensemble performed the best they had ever played.”
Matt McCarthy, Supervisor of Arts Education, also shared his wonderful report on the evening’s performance,
“This is our first concert of 2026, and it sets a high bar. Mrs. Griggs put together a wonderful and whimsical program, and you could feel the students' connection to the works,” Mr. McCarthy stated. “We have one of the premier string programs in the state, and it was on full display tonight.
Here are video clips of each of the five performances
BRHS Ninth Orchestra January 8
BRHS Concert Orchestra January 8
BRHS Symphony Orchestra January 8
BRHS Special Orchestra Performance January 8
Here is the program for the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Winter Orchestra Concert