Some 80 strong, the Allegro Orchestra, directed by Viktoras Prizgintas, actually combines four groups of students from the second to 12th grades. Second- to fourth-graders make up the Training Orchestra and they were the first to play at a Thursday night concert at Monroe-Woodbury High School auditorium. They played an upbeat version of Elliot Del Borgo's "Wexford Circle" and, to start the program, joined the Cadenza Strings in a spirited rendition of Borgo's "Classic Sinfonia." Rhythmic bowing followed by pianissimo passagework displayed a fine sense of timbre and tonal variety. For youngsters learning to master string techniques, they possessed a strong sense of ensemble interplay.

The Cadenza Strings were next supported by several members of the most advanced group, the Baroque Ensemble, in performing the opening allegro of Mozart's Symphony No. 12 in G Major, well sustained in the fast phrasing but dragging in the slow interludes. They then played "Two French Songs" that captured the beauty of Renaissance dance in the repeated meter and tempo. The Concert Orchestra next offered Howard Hanson's "Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Hymns." Weaving intricate patterns with Celtic overtones, the piece offers rich musical fabric with contrasting colors. Violin soloist Paul Laskorski carried the central theme over the contrapuntal strings; the finale brought the instruments together in a climactic tutti that was solidly timed. Paul Whear's "Preludio" presented yet another dramatic contrast, by turns somber and cheerful. After some tuneful exchanges between the first violins and first cellos, the piece builds to a resonant climax with a series of sonorous chords.

The highlight of the evening was the Baroque Ensemble's impressive performance of Corelli's Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 1 in D Major. Violinists Emily Faxon and Alice Poulson led the way as soloists and accompanists, and formed an inner trio with student cellist Madeline Huberth. Alternating slow and fast between the four movements, the sprightly allegros and sublime adagios re-created the haunting church music of the period, soulful, plaintive and truly inspired. The concert closed with Paul Creston's Fugue for String Orchestra, which swept up the players in syncopated musical spirals to drop them with a sudden abrupt note at the end.