By HANNAH STEELE- The sound of horns tooting, thundering drums, and gentle flutes fill the air. On Wednesday, January 24th, the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble performed melodiously at the annual Winter Band Concert.
The Symphonic Band performed pieces called “Encanto,” “Among the Clouds,” and “Danny Boy.” The wind ensemble performed “Terpsichorean Dances,” “Winter Dances,” with solos by seniors Matt Conjelko and Anthony Morse, juniors Katie Hagens and Anthony Bevevino, and freshman Chloe Kocinski.
The Wind Ensemble requires advanced music knowledge and expertise and is composed of mostly upperclassmen who are able to play college-level pieces, while the Symphonic Band is predominately underclassmen who play medium to advanced level pieces.
Mr. Jason Olear, who directed the Winter Band Concert, has been involved in elementary music programs for the past ten years, while working with the senior high bands for the past three. In regard to the recent performance, Olear stated, “The concert was fantastic! We received many congratulations and kind comments following our performance. Our students are extremely talented and worked hard to present some difficult music. I am looking forward to changing things up a bit and showcasing our students, even more, this spring!”
IHS is graduating many talented musicians this year, with 13 seniors performing in the concert. Timothy Sexton, a senior trumpeter who has been involved in the high school music department for four years expressed, “Overall, the concert was fun to perform. One of my favorite pieces was “Festivals and Preludes” because of the powerful fanfares that it holds. I am certainly going to miss the times that I had working with Mr. Olear, and the fun we had.” Sexton plans on continuing his musical journey by attending IUP as a music/psychology major and hopes to become a musical therapist following college.
Freshman Lillian Nath, who plays the flute for the Symphonic Band stated, “ It was a good time and all of the bands played really well. We got nothing but positive feedback and I think overall the concert went really well.”
“I liked playing “Terpsichorean Dances’,” stated junior Theresa Lamantia, a clarinet player for the Wind Ensemble. “It was a fun, upbeat tune that was an enjoyable challenge.”
[Photo By Theresa Lamantia]
Photo Caption: “The Symphonic Band is focused as they perform euphoniously at the Winter Band Concert.”
