On Thursday, March 6, 9th Grade Band and Varsity Band performed at 7:00 p.m. in the Arganbright Auditorium.
9th Grade Band played first, opening with “Fanfare Esprit” by Carol Brittin Chambers, “Music from Wicked” by Stephen Schwartz and arranged by Michael Sweeney and “American Riversongs” by Pierre La Plante.
Before transitioning to Varsity Band, Band Directors Ryan Middleton and Brian Zeglis thanked the staff who work in the music programs in elementary schools, middle schools and high school.
They thanked Northwest Middle School Band Directors Kevin Brown, Josh Carlo and Sarah Rheume; Westside Elementary Band Directors Joshua Piering and Lee Rabe; West High Orchestra Director Jon Welch; and West High Choral Directors Luigi Enriquez and David Haas.
They also thanked West High admin that made the event possible, like Principal Mitch Gross; Assistant Principals Elizabeth Bruening, Jennifer Eustice and Maureen Head; and Student Support Coordinator Garrett Hartwig.
Once on stage, Varsity Band played “Nathan Hale Trilogy” by James Curnow, “Fantasy on a Childhood Hymn” by Michael Oare and closed with “In Ages Past” by Ed Huckeby.
Two weeks before, on Feb. 20, West High’s top two concert bands, Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, held a concert at 7:00 p.m. in the Arganbright Auditorium featuring Ann Bradfield, Associate Professor of Saxophone at the University of Northern Iowa.
Bradfield soloed in a concerto with each band: Symphonic Band performed “Diversion” by Bernhard Heiden and Wind Ensemble performed “I Dream Awake” by Giovanni Santos.
Symphonic Band’s other songs include “Moravian Folk Rhapsody” by Robert Sheldon and “Yellow Mountains” by Jacob de Haan, and Wind Ensemble rounded out the concert with “Sea Songs” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, “Dusk” by Steven Bryant and “Arabesque” by Samuel Hazo.
The next traditional band concert is May 15, but the Solo/Small Ensemble Festival on March 26 will feature every student in Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, along with some students from 9th Grade Band and Varsity Band who opted in, performing a solo or a small group piece in front of judges.
The event will take place throughout the afternoon and evening, with each soloist or group performing at a different time and location to be determined.
