Orchestra conductor Leo Eylar waves his baton, directing the rise and fall of the violin’s bows, the horns, wind instruments and the steady beat of the percussion. An ensemble of more than 30 student musicians play their various instruments, each focused on his or her sheet music in Capistrano Hall.

For two hours twice a week, the Sacramento State Orchestra has been preparing for its winter concert on Tuesday. The concert will feature guest violin soloist, Bill Barbini. But don’t expect to hear “Jingle Bells” at this concert. The orchestra has been practicing pieces such as “The Flying Dutchman,” “Violin Concerto in D minor by Korngold” and “The Scottish Symphony.”

Chase Spruill, the orchestra’s concert master, said rehearsing one piece (ten pages of sheet music) can take the orchestra up to four months.

Spruill, a senior music major, has been playing the violin for 12 years. He said his hard work and desire to be a part of a team have made him the orchestra’s concert master for three years.

So what’s on his iPod? Mostly classical music, he said. Spruill said he practices his violin three hours a day. That’s not including the three hours a week he puts in rehearsing with the orchestra. Spruill said playing classical music is a challenge and something he loves, but he will never understand it all.

“I can practice a piece for year and understand and be very familiar with that one piece, but that is just only one piece, one of thousands,” Spruill said. “I will never be able to understand all of it.”

For Kristen Campbell, being a part of the orchestra is a way for her to unwind. Campbell, a senior percussion performance major, said she enjoyed the four years she has played in the orchestra.

She said she has been playing the drums for 14 years and tries to get in two hours of practice daily. With all the hard work of class and practicing, Campbell said playing in the orchestra is her time to relax.

“I like to listen to the blend of the sounds,” Campbell said. “There are so many different instruments. When they all come together it sounds really good. Rehearsal is definitely a break from all my other classes.”

Spruill said he believes the orchestra has much to offer students and the campus doesn’t really know what it has.

“People think that classical music is stiff, that after rehearsal we drink tea and play cricket or something,” Spruill said. “What they don’t know is that music these days is different, that it’s all constantly evolving.”

There are no tea parties or cricket matches for the orchestra. Instead, the orchestra is playing to crowds that are too big for Capistrano Hall to hold. Paul Smith, a bassoon student, said he expects the upcoming concert to be packed. Smith said the last concert the orchestra played was so crowded, chairs had to be set up outside the hall for people to sit and listen.

“We had 100 more patrons than we did seats,” Smith said. “It’s time for the school to spend money on the things that make sense.”

Smith said Sac State has an excellent music and orchestra program.

“For the amount of money we’re forking out for tuition, we should have a top-rate music hall.”

After the music fades, Spruill said what he enjoys the most are his friends who surround him in the orchestra.

“I like being a part of a team,” he said. “I like to see and to help bring people together through music.”

Adina Zerwig can be reached at [email protected]