For two evenings, the sound of live music will fill the theater. On May 20 and 21, the music department will host two free concerts. The first will focus on the band, while the second will accentuate the choir and orchestra. Both concerts will be held in the theater and include arrangements from various moods and styles. Highlights include the debut of a full orchestra piece and a wind ensemble composition written by Christian Kerby.

The first band concert May 20 will showcase performances from the concert band, wind ensemble and jazz band. Among the pieces to be performed will be “Anguish of Nosferatu” by composer Ed Kiefer, featuring complex time signatures. Another piece, “Northern Lights,” written by composer Matt Neufeld, incorporates several rhythmic pulse changes. Both pieces have been rehearsed since March.

In preparation for the concert, some students had to learn new instruments to fill in for missing parts in other sections.

“I stayed on trumpet, but I have been playing a bit of [french] horn recently,” James Totaro said. “I just wanted to fill out some other spots in the band because I felt like I could; it was interesting to me.” 

This concert will also be the official introduction of “Sinfonia,” a composition written by junior Christian Kerby, who will conduct the entire piece. This seven-minute long piece, scored for the wind ensemble, has been in development since November, and features 26 different instruments from three different categories. The composers Claude T. Smith, Koji Kondo, and Johann Sebastian Bach influenced this composition. “Sinfonia” also draws from a wide variety of styles, such as jazz, baroque, hymn and classical music, as well as video game scores, particularly from Undertale and the Mario franchises.

“I tried to make something that sounds interesting and deviates from standard typical academic repertoire,” Christian Kerby said.

The orchestra concert will feature mainly the orchestra and choir, and additional performances by the jazz band, which will be conducted by director Michelle Jamison. 

“I’d say I’m excited for this show because it’s the last one of the year, and it’s our chance to show what we’ve done,” Irving Birmingham said.

Part of the orchestra concert will be dedicated to “Jupiter” and “Mars,” pieces from an orchestral suite titled “The Planets” by composer Gustav Holst. Composed in the 1910s, both pieces are inspired by the astrology symbols of each respective planet, each piece is named after. This performance will mark the first time under Jamieson’s lead in the Whitney music program that a full orchestra piece will be performed, uniting the sections’ strings, winds and percussion.

“We’re going to be doing Jupiter, which is a staple in the orchestral repertoire,” Jamieson said. “So it’s a good experience for everybody to be playing something like this.” 

In their last concert, the music department wanted to honor the seniors for their hard work over the past four years by allowing them to each have special parts during the concert. They will also receive awards and certificates at the band banquet.

Through the year, the music department has grown into new ways of performing in their concerts. The choir will be combining with the jazz band, and will be performing as a show choir on May 21. Despite the combinations of different sections, the orchestra will be performing without wind instruments. “Serenade Triste,” composed by Richard Cohen is one piece that will be played by the orchestra during the concert. 

“I’m hoping it’ll convey a year’s worth of work,” Jamieson said. “It’ll be the culmination of all of the things we’ve been doing in each of our classes. It also will show what kind of fun we’ve been having.”

Preserving is something students felt during this year of music. Charlize Tumulak has been in the music department for three years, and has learned attitudes inside and outside the music room.

“You feel really happy about [your last concert], but at the same time you’re sad because it’s the last time you get to play with the seniors,” Tumulak said. “But it’s also such a great experience because you know how far you’ve come from the start.”

Students have also been putting in extra time for a full orchestra piece during the orchestra concert. Coming in during PAWS has been a routine for all students in the different orchestras. The jazz band has also been working on difficult pieces to showcase their individual talents.  

“I think it’s really cool to see how we get to play for both choir and band because we just get to play for two different audiences,” Neel Khant said. “Sometimes it’s like different reactions. I definitely think that we put in a little bit more work, but it’s also really rewarding at the end to just be able to play for a lot of people and show what I’ve been working on.”

by SIMON ARAGOZA, LUMINIA HUOTARI, MAIRYN OSECHECK, NAVNEET THANDI