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Students from Detmold, Germany, joined the McLean Orchestra on Wednesday for a concert that blended two ensembles, two cultures and months of preparation.

The performance was part of an annual German exchange program that has helped students form friendships across an ocean.

“It was an amazing experience,” senior Joe Daniels said. “We have really good friends now who just happen to live in Germany.”

The program featured German and American influences through music by Brahms, who once lived in Detmold, and Beethoven, along with selections from “West Side Story,” “My Fair Lady” and “Grease.”

Florean Wessel, the Grabbegymnasiym orchestra conductor and music teacher, described the program as dancing music from around the world.

Planning began months before the exchange. Orchestra teacher Starlet Smith said the groups selected music during the summer or fall and sent sheet music to each other so they could rehearse separately. Once the German students arrived, the combined orchestra practiced together for two to four hours each day.

Bringing the two groups into sync took time, but their shared musical knowledge helped close the gap.

“Music is a universal language that we can all read,” Smith said. After several rehearsals, she added, the ensembles began fitting together “like two puzzle pieces.”

The exchange also introduced students to differences in daily life and culture. Daniels said the German visitors shared many interesting details about living in their country.

For German exchange student Josephine Heckel-Huang, the end of the visit brought mixed emotions.

“I feel pretty happy, but also sad because we have to leave,” she said. “It was such a cool experience, and I found a lot of new friends.”