An Eventful Week in the Music Department

Kira Budge
The Paw Print

This past week has been especially eventful for the ASU Music Department, with a number of concerts, and, most of all, the occurrence of the Honor Festival, bringing in the high school Honor Bands and Choirs. Beginning on Thursday, February 14, a number of high school students from around the state who had previously successfully auditioned came to ASU for Honor Band and Choir.
College students from the Music Department organized and registered the students, who then essentially took over the building for re-auditions and practice before going into rehearsals with their varied groups, which included two choirs, Mixed and Women’s. The groups were directed by professors here at ASU, and accompanied by their own high school directors.
Thursday night, 68 West, the ASU Jazz Choir, performed in Richardson Hall, presenting pieces such as “Hallelujah,” “Man in the Mirror,” based off of the Michael Jackson hit, and “Fields of Gold,” a softer jazz rendition of a Sting piece. Friday at 5pm, the ASU Wind Ensemble gave another concert in Richardson. They played Shokstakovich’s three-movement “Jazz Suite No. 1,” which takes on various dance styles throughout the movements, and the second movement of Sousa’s “At the Movies,” which mimics the music style of black-and-white silent films.
Chelsea Oden, a senior music major and performer, said she loved both pieces, and that “At the Movies” “tells the… story of a woman being tied to a train tracks, and just has so much character.” She said, “It wasn’t a bad performance, but I know the group is really looked forward to performing again [on April 27].” The April 27 performance will include all movements from “At the Movies.”
Then Friday night, Chamber and Concert Choirs had a performance in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church for the high school students at the Honor Festival and the public. Chamber Choir performed varied pieces, such as “Daemon Ponit Laudes,” an intense, religious Latin declaration with a drumming feel, and “Hosanna,” which acts as a very rhythmically difficult piece of praise. Concert Choir performed many pieces, including “Earth Song,” a beautiful and unnerving plea for peace, and “I Bought Me a Cat,” a traditional and offbeat children’s song.
At the end, the Honor Choirs joined Concert Choir for a performance of a fun spiritual, “Take Me to the Water.” The audience enjoyed the concert on whole, and was pleased with the sound and quality of the pieces. David Webb, who performed in both Chamber and Concert, along with the jazz choir, said, “In my opinion, the concert went beautifully. We were in tune, well prepared, and the high school students really enjoyed it.”
Saturday, February 16, the high school Honor Bands and Choirs had their final concerts, after which they returned to their respective high schools, with more musical experience under their belts, and, hopefully, good memories in hand.
The choirs and Wind Ensemble will not be performing again until April, at which point they greatly welcome and encourage your attendance.
Also, keep your eyes open for performances by other individuals and groups in the Music Department starting in March! Coming up on the 23 of March is Oden’s senior composition recital, which will be the conclusion of her tenure composing music here at college.