Interlake High School served up “A Taste of Music,” on Thursday, Oct. 22, a concert to raise money for the Interlake Orchestra’s trip to New York next May.

Unlike most of the concerts within the theater at Interlake High School, the Interlake Orchestra, which includes the Chamber Orchestra and the Concert Orchestra, did not play. Instead, professional musicians as well as talented amateur musicians played on the theater stage.

By selling tickets to the concert itself as well as raffle tickets for various prizes (among which was a Kennelly Keys Guitar Kit which included a Yamaha acoustic guitar and bundled guitar accessories) at the concert, the orchestra raised nearly $3,000 for its trip. The orchestra wants to use the money to pay for those members who cannot afford to go as well as reduce the price that every member of the orchestra has to pay to go on the trip.

Starting with the sister-brother duo, Dong Hee Lee and Dong Won Lee, playing “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28,” the concert’s namesake was borne out through the night. Dong Hee Lee is the principal violinist of the Interlake Chamber Orchestra and a member of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, while her brother Dong Won Lee was a runner-up in the 28th Smetana International Piano Competition in the Czech Republic and has played at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Calvin Chan, a member of the Everett Philharmonic Orchestra and the principal cellist of the Interlake Chamber Orchestra, played after Dong Won Lee’s solo piece “Ballade No. 1” by Chopin. Chan was accompanied on piano by Sydney Han, who received her Bachelor and Master of Music from Indiana University and is a former faculty member of the Seattle Conservatory of Music.

Following Chan was Simon Kim, a violinist from South Korea who has studied under the violinist Jascha Heifetz and former member of the San Diego Symphony and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by Dong Won Lee on the piano.

Ending the evening after Kim were The Four Witnesses, a cello quartet consisting of Daniel Lee, a cellist in the Interlake Chamber Orchestra; his younger sister, Grace, principal cellist of the Interlake Concert Orchestra; his mother, Ji Youn; and his older sister, Judy, currently a pre-med student at Bellevue College.

The event was emceed by Gigi Yellen-Kohn, former radio host of weeknight classical music on KING 98.1 FM as well as one of the first female classical radio hosts in the country.

The organization of this event involved both students and adults. Interlake Orchestra Director Shira Katsman and a group of students’ parents including Michael and Diane Korotkin, Penny Hirata, and Lisa Sato worked alongside students Michael Su, Teresa Jiang, Joanne Ho, and Kaitlin Tullis to bring it all together.

“A Taste of Music” fit in as much music as possible in the evening; even during intermission, students performed in the space outside the theater while audience members ate and drank the desserts and refreshments laid out on the table.

The night was not without its moments of levity. Kim started with “Orange Blossom Special,” a bluegrass piece not on the program and in stark contrast to the other classical music played during the night and proceeded to stamp his feet several times near the end of his piece, which drew laughs from the audience.

While drawing tickets for the door prize, Yellen accidently read out a serial number on the ticket stub which was present on all the tickets sold. The entire audience proceeded to erupt in cheers.

Changlin Li is a student at Interlake High School and an intern with the Bellevue Reporter. He can be reached at 425.453.4270, ext. 5060.