Ellen Ludtke
Arts, Entertainment, and Technology Editor
@eludtkecourant
Tonight’s Winter Concert will mark the first time in three years that all sections of the NCHS Performing Arts Department (choir, band, and orchestra) will have performed a piece together. Although the ensembles are excited to present their collaboration, the process of getting to where they are now was a challenge that demanded the work and attention needed for multiple pieces.
Selecting the piece of music to play that would work with all the sections was a process in itself, especially with limited time. “It’s difficult because there aren’t that many pieces that are band, choir, and orchestra,” Choir Director and Teacher Sarah Gleason said. “Sometimes, you have to look for symphony orchestra masterworks, but those are hard to put together in a month.”
In fact, the Performing Arts Department chose the symphony orchestra arrangement “Carmina Burana” by Carl Orff for their collaborative piece in 2013, but the arrangement was complex which made it hard to learn in time for the concert. “When you’re working with students, it’s not like working with professionals where there’s a lot of repertoire that’s already there,” Orchestra Director and Teacher Leo Ficks said. “It has to be arranged to make it at a student level, so it creates another layer to the process.”
Keeping all of these things in mind, Ms. Gleason, Mr. Ficks, and Band Director and Teacher Scott Cranston sat down together and chose a student-intended Andrew Lloyd Webber Medley of Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita.
After choosing which piece to play, the next step was for each teacher to teach the piece to their ensemble along with the other pieces they would be performing in their individual sections, which had to be done in fairly short order. “I think the biggest challenge is that we didn’t start learning the music until after winter break,” Ms. Gleason said. “Learning music in one month is interesting. I like doing it, but it’s definitely a challenge because we’re learning at a faster tempo, which makes you learn it differently.”
Finally, bringing all of the sections together on stage for the final rehearsals before brought some logistical issues. “Normally, when you have a choir, band, and orchestra, the choir is behind the instruments. We can’t do that because the NCHS stage isn’t big enough, so we have to put the choir in the pit on risers,” Mr. Ficks said. “As you can imagine, the choir can’t sing facing the audience and also look at the conductor who would be behind them. So we have to have two conductors, which is not the ideal situation, but it works for our purposes.”
Having two conductors can be confusing for the students as well. “When you are conducted by someone who’s not your usual teacher, you’re like ‘What’s going on,’” junior and choir student Allison Demers said. “But, it’s good, because we have to learn to follow different conductors!”
While the Andrew Lloyd Webber Medley is the final piece of the concert, it isn’t the only piece of music – performances by each section will be interspersed throughout the night. Each individual section will perform a piece they have worked on during the first semester, while “Sleep” by Eric Whitacre will be performed by the band and the choir. The band and orchestra have also teamed up to play the main theme from Star Wars.
Holistically, the Winter Concert is packed with great music and talented student musicians. “The concert is kind of a musical smorgasbord, because the variety is very good,” Mr. Ficks said. “I think there’s variety in the groups in how they sound and in the music selections that they choose, which is a great thing.”
Come to the Winter Concert tonight (February 9) at 7 pm in the NCHS Auditorium!
