Alessandra Bassani

A3
December 26,2015
The performances of the Wind Ensemble, Percussion, and Chamber Choir took place on
Wednesday, December 16, 2015. It was their Winter Concert, and it started at 7:00 pm, in the
High School Auditorium.
The concert started off with the Wind Ensemble playing. The first song they played was
Fantasy Sketches by Johnnie Vinson. It started out loud, with some instruments, and then
others joined in to make it even louder. It went from loud to soft, and then remained soft. The
trumpets had good pitch, it was not too loud nor too soft. The instruments sounded good
together. The song ended with all the instruments playing together. Overall this song was very
good. Everyone seemed to know their music. The second song they played was Sheherazade
by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov arr. By Jay Bocook. It started with some instruments playing low. It
sounded dark. Then, it got softer and there was a saxophone solo. The soloist did a good job
with keeping the beat and the pitch. It remained soft throughout most of the song, but it did get
loud gradually at some parts. There was a flute trill, and the clarinets and flutes were soft. It
ended on a whole note. The song was played well. The third song they played was The Legend
of Sleepy Hollow, by Andrew Boysen Jr. It started off with different drums. Some people were
blowing into the mouthpiece of their instrument, to give off a strange sound. They were used as
noise makers. This set the mood of the song, which was very creepy. The song got soft when
there were solos, and when it did get loud it was done quickly. There were fast notes, and high
notes in the flute section. The clarinets were using their teeth on their reeds, which isnt done
often. It got faster at some parts, and then the pace remained fast. There were bassoon solos,
and it ended very quiet. The band did a good job to give off that the song was very strange by
incorporating the sound makers. The last song played was A Fresh Aire Christmas, by
Manheim Steamroller arr. By Calvin Custer. It started off loud and upbeat. The song was made
up of Christmas songs, such as Silent night. It got softer when the Christmas songs were going,
and louder when there were other beats. The rhythm changed suddenly, and there was a bass
clarinet and bassoon solo. You were able to hear the flutes and there was a picciolo. Everyone
was together, and it ended with a symbol crash. The song was played well, and brought a
Christmas feeling to everyone. Overall the Wind Ensemble had a great performance. The songs
sounded good, and when the instruments needed to be together they were. The beat was set
and followed, and everyone seemed to know their music. With a little more practice, the Wind
Ensemble will sound 10x better. This was a regular winter concert, which is why they would
sound better with practice.
The Percussion went after the Wind Ensemble. They created an improvisation song.
They called their song Fireworks. This song had three sections; metallic, wooden, and then the
drums. It started off with the percussion instruments making some sounds. This was the metallic
section. It then went into the wooden sounds, and then finally the drums. It got louder in each
section, until finally the drums were the loudest. This gave the feel of fireworks, because they
are very soft when they go into the air, until they finally pop and are loud. This was done with the
three sections. Overall, the Percussion had a good performance. They did a good job of created
a louder sound throughout the sections. For the next performance, they should work to improve

their improvisation, so it grabs more peoples attention. This was also a regular winter
performance.
The Chamber Choir played last for the concert. All their songs were started with the
playing of a harmonica. The first song they sang was Carol of the Bells by Leontovich arr. By
Wilhousky. It was soft and high. They were singing different parts, but together it created the
song. This song brought a Christmas feeling into the air. The second song they sang was If Ye
Love Me by Thomas Tallis. It started off soft, with everyone singing together. Then there was
overlapping, where one group would sing and then another would sing the same part but after.
This made a nice sound. The song was soft the whole time. This song that was sung well. The
third song the Chamber Choir sang was Ave Maria, by. Franz Biebl. It was started with a solo
by Robert Lindquist. The other singers followed in after him. The song was sung in a different
language. It got soft, and then there was a solo by Robert Grahame. Parts of the song were
high pitch. Overall this song was performed well by the singers. The last song that was done
was Silent Night. It is a traditional carol, so it is known by almost everyone. It started off soft
and for the most part everyone was singing together. However, at some parts the sopranos
would sing after. This song ended soft. The Chamber singers had a great performance. They all
sounded good together, and knew their music well. This was also a regular winter performance.