By Bren Belmonte, March 3, 2026
What began as a student’s pitch for a chamber-music presence in the Cal Poly Pomona music curriculum evolved into a full-fledged concert Feb. 24.
Music performance student Manuel Alvarado acted as director for the concert, contacting his friends in the department to fill a setlist spanning from the romantic period to the modern-day musical “Phantom of the Opera.” Uniting trombones, saxophones, brass, strings and tubas, music department students showcased their capabilities in CPP’s recital hall, performing without a conductor.
“I’ve never really done a project of this magnitude before in my entire life,” Alvarado said. “To hear all these fantastic musicians get together and perform in such a short amount of time makes me feel lucky to be here.”
Chamber music is small groups of five to six student musicians who rehearse on their own time. For this concert, the participants are a mix of music and nonmusic students who picked literature of their choice, fostering independence and creativity.
“It’s been a great bonding moment with my friends that I play with and us getting closer as musicians,” said music student David Polanco. “It’s a really close dynamic. We’re always bouncing off ideas and helping one another.”
The trombone quartet opened the program with a performance of “Achieved is the Glorious Work” by Franz Joseph Haydn, consistently in a major key, highlighting rich sounds of the instrument. As a trombone player, Alvarado said the work is a classical era piece about a man devoted to God, making a connection about how his instrument was initially made for religious purposes.
“My most favorite part of that piece is the fact it sounds like we’re in a concert hall or a church because of the way it’s arranged,” Alvarado said. “It makes the audience feel like they’re in the house of the Lord.”
The saxophone quartet’s performance of “Wish Upon a Star” by Jim Barngrover transported the audience to nostalgic 1940s Disney, blending jazz with a heartwarming tone. According to Polanco, a saxophone player, it’s a rare arrangement by a founder of the Disneyland marching band passed down in the band community.
“When we got to the more challenging section where it speeds up into a waltz, we were able to lock in and play together in time,” Polanco said, reflecting on group practice. “It was a moment of realization of how beautiful music can be.”
A dreamy atmosphere settled in the recital hall as “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish was performed by the saxophone quartet. The four saxophones blended smoothly as the tempo rose to calmly lull the listener from beginning to end.
Draped in black capes, the string quartet conveyed the dramatic tone in Ajhan Kurtov’s arrangement of “Phantom of the Opera.” The string instrumentalists performed in a brisk tempo with bow precision, bringing Broadway style to CPP.
“When the main theme gets introduced in the piece, it’s forceful and exciting (to me),” said music pedagogy student Jacqueline Lopez. “I love practicing that feeling. When I’m performing, I envision the characters of the opera like Christine and the Phantom.”
Lopez described the relationship with her fellow quartet instrumentalists as built on full trust, and their dynamic is transmitted to the performance through a uniform and balanced sound. During practice, she said they coordinate bowing, talk about who has the melody and always focus on improving their sound.
The tuba quartet’s performance of “Misty Mountains” evoked a solemn tone like its origin in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” The melody represents an exile from one’s homeland, with gentle singing from two instrumentalists toward the end of the piece.
Straight from the romantic era, the string duet performed Duo Concertant for two violins No. 3 in D major, Op. 57, “Allegretto” by Charles Auguste de Bériot. The first movement is conversational and full of lyricism as the violinists radiated poise in the recital hall with elegant bow movements. “Allegretto” in a musical sense implies a moderately-fast tempo, inviting the instrumentalists to play in a graceful, lively manner.
To close the program, the trombone quartet performed “When the Saints go Marching in,” a traditional arrangement by Jack Gale. Alvarado described it as a jazz-oriented piece and chose it specifically because he’s never performed it with others. When practicing, Alvarado said they crack a few jokes, loosen up, start focusing and get comfortable with the piece.
“I want people to know that the music department isn’t just some random building in the middle of the campus.” Alvarado said. “I want people to know we have a thriving and large music department.”
