World famous violinist Mark Wood lit up the DHS stage. Our own musicians may have been a bit taken aback by the retro rocker look. Then they  learned there is so much more to Wood than bad 80s hair and clothes when they had the privilege of taking the stage with him.

When a world famous musician comes to Darien preparation can be crazy.  Mark Wood, a violinist of Trans-Siberian Orchestra fame, played a concert with the Darien Orchestra and Chorus. The preparation for the event had been one of the most extensive in Darien history; hours of rehearsal and development were put in to make the concert a success on Oct.17.

During the hectic rehearsal hours, I managed to speak to Mark Wood about his hopes for the following evening, and his background. Mark was an easy going and friendly individual, and he imparted his musical philosophies to me while walking about the stage moving wires and instruments. He originally created his fusion of classical music and rock and roll because, “I went to Juilliard as a string player, well trained in classical, but I love rock, R&B, hip-hop, and other types of music, so I wanted to combine all the styles and create something new”. His favorite bands include, “Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Dream Theater,” while his personal musical hero is Eddie Van Halen. He told me of his past musical experiences that include collaboration with Kanye West and a concert at Shea Stadium where he worked with artists from Billy Joel to Paul McCartney. When I tentatively ask him about his unique sense of rock-inspired style (freshman Emma Janson remarked, “his pants are tighter than mine”), he laughs and explains that, “it’s all rock and roll inspiration, from a young age and for many years”.

At the concert the stage was set up much differently than previous years, a color-changing backlight illuminated the stage, and the orchestra donned a Mark Wood t-shirt uniform, with the bassists all rolling up their collective sleeves. Mark Wood entered the stage in full costume, his typical tight-pants and flowing shirt ensemble that looked right at home on the decorated stage.

The orchestra kicked off with “Carry on My Wayward Son”, the seminal 70s hit by Kansas, and Mark Wood instantly set the mood for the night by unleashing all his practiced yet magnetic “rock-star” moves, complete with leg kicks, stage strutting, and hair tossing. The benefit of Wood’s showmanship was that it instantly loosened up not only the audience but the orchestra itself; whenever Wood leaned into a section of strings or baited a nervous violinist, they instantly became more relaxed and into it.

After the opening number, Wood spoke briefly to the audience. He proudly proclaimed that tonight the he and the orchestra were, “redefining what you think about orchestra”.  He praised the, “passion and commitment these great kids have,” and congratulated all of the proud students behind him for their hard work. Then shortly after, the orchestra was back in, launching into “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay, Mark Wood once again stalking the stage with furious glee.

For the next number, “Crazy Train” the Ozzy Osbourne classic, Wood introduced the song by explaining to the audience that it had been analyzed in several music institutions yet no one could understand it, “but these kids, here tonight, understand it”. The song was performed perfectly, Wood was clearly a fan of it as he played with extra relish and aggression, and the orchestra did a fine job of matching his enthusiasm.

The following two songs, Paul McCartney’s Bond number, “Live and Let Die,” (for which Wood encouraged the use of iPhone “lighter apps”) and Led Zeppelin’s, “Stairway to Heaven” followed the same basic formula, the orchestra driving the songs while Mark Wood jumped about and unleashed fast and furious runs on his electric violin. After the two songs, Wood switched it up a bit, playing an Irish- sounding tune with equal enthusiasm, as senior Allison Wetterauw showed off her impressive dancing skills, kicking and jumping with vigor. After the song Wood joked, “Do your feet hurt after watching her?”

It was after these songs that Mark Wood went into further detail about his program, “Electrify Your Strings” and explained that he’d been on a, “two-day extravaganza, encouraging music, encouraging artists, giving back,” and declaring that, “our best investment is in this generation”.

The next song, featured sophomore Ryo Usami playing “Hoedown” in the front with Wood, and his effortless technical precision and calmness were nothing short of impressive. Afterwards, some of the chorus entered and took a spot in the front of the stage for a rendition of, “Born to Be Wild”, featuring Mark Woods bleached blond, cheetah-print wearing, singer wife, Laura Kaye, who howled her way through the song in a rough but pitch perfect performance, chock full of staggering vocal runs, while the chorus sang along and took part in some cheesy but entertaining choreography to accompany it.

Next came a rendition of “Eleanor Rigby” with seniors Jordan and Luke Washer and junior Charlie Baird who sang divided verses while Laura took the chorus. The closing number for the orchestra was “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, featuring the chorus doing a terrific impression of the choir from the original song, and Misha Kushnir and Emily Elliot convening on stage to showcase their vocal abilities alongside Laura Kaye. After the song was over, the orchestra and chorus took seats and listened to Mark and his family displayed their musical prowess. Mark’s drummer son, Elijah, hammered away like a professional on his massive drum kit, Mark played an abstract but excellent piece on the electric violin, and Laura showed off her vocal abilities in the form of a “duel” with Mark, echoing his high-speed riffs with equally impressive vocal runs. They closed with an electrifying medley of “Black Dog”, “Kashmir”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and a rocked out version of, “In the Hall of the Mountain King”.

Backstage, the orchestra was full of enthusiasm and excitement. Senior Allison Wetterauw was essentially speechless from exuberance, but managed to give me the quote, “he’s so inspiring, performing with him was an honor”.

Sophomore Chris Hecq professed, “Mark Wood is inspiring and this was really fun, out of the ordinary, and unorthodox.” Spectator Martin Milewski claimed, “It was electric, through the roof, the amount of people it will touch is great”.

Miss Minnis remarked that the whole concert was, “An awesome experience for all the kids, all the staff, and all the teachers, I hope we can do this again,” and Mr. Karlan of the Middlesex orchestra said, “It was incredibly motivating, it gives the kids something they can connect with more directly, and encourages them to play their instruments, a perfect example of ‘meet them where they are teaching’”.

At the end of the day, Mark Wood’s electrifying concert succeeded in overcoming potential campiness with sheer enthusiasm, in one of the most entertaining fall concerts in years.