On Thursday, Dec. 5, the Ninth Grade and Concert Band joined together to put on a much anticipated Christmas concert for friends, family and staff.
The combined Ninth Grade and Concert Band performed a total of five Christmas themed songs. These songs were “Christmas Wind Overture,” “Gesu Bambino,” “A Fantasy of Carols,” “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Overall, the combined Ninth Grade and Concert Band put on a great performance. Like any band, they had moments of weakness and misunderstanding but were able to redeem themselves through their brilliant sound and sharp etiquette. This brilliant sound was exemplified in their final song, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” where the combined band was joined by the LRHS 8th Grade Band. This earned the band a standing ovation from the audience.
The next night, Friday, December 6, I had the pleasure of attending the Symphonic Band concert. After they played the “Star Spangled Banner,” conducted by Ashley Gray, senior, the band performed “A Christmas Greeting,” “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” “Themes from the Nutcracker Suite” (which included Chinese Dance, March, Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies, Arabian Dance, Waltz of the Flowers and Russian Dance), “Sleigh Ride,” “Stille Nacht,” “Minor Alterations No. 2” and “A Christmas Festival for Band.”
In general, the Symphonic Band was very impressive. Each song was played with a lot of confidence, beauty and togetherness. They occasionally suffered from balance issues, but this was only evident in a few songs. They were even able to continue Symphonic Band tradition with the performance of “Stille Nacht,” which features humming and a dramatic lighting change. Their pristine performance also earned the band a standing ovation and left many of the audience members in absolute awe.
I was thoroughly impressed with both band ensembles. The amount of practicing these students do both at home and in the band room is always evident in their playing and that’s something to be appreciated. I look forward to seeing the improvements each band makes as they continue on into the spring.
