By: Nicole Plowright
On Sunday December 6 Adams State’s Department of music put on their annual Winterfest concert. The Winterfest concert included all the performance ensembles within the music department in Richardson Hall. The program opened with the chamber choir, concert choir, and orchestra. They performed a preview of their upcoming performance of “Messiah” by George Frederic Handel. The segments being “And the Glory of the Lord” and “Glory to God”. The director of the choirs is Dr. Beth Wagstrom.
After the preview of “Messiah” the choirs left the stage to the ASC Orchestra, directed by Dr. William Lipke. The orchestra performed “Pastores a Belen” by Leroy Anderson and “Jesu, Joy of a Man’s Desiring” by J.S. Bach arranged by Luck.
The ASC Big Band followed the orchestra, directed by associate music professor Mr. James Doyle. They played an arrangement, done by adjunct professor Ryan Janus, of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. This piece featured various soloists including freshman music major Kayla Hunt.
The wind ensemble was next, and performed “March of the Toys” by Victor Herbert. This was directed by the director of bands Dr. James VanValkenburg.
The Chamber Choir reappeared on stage. Martin Jay McKee, Kathleen Miller, Lisa King, and Marcos LeBlanc were featured in “Star in the East” by Daniel Read. They also sang a Greg Smith arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”.
The flute choir conducted by music major Brittany Sours, played Mykola Leontovich and Ann Cameron Pearce’s “Carol of the Bells”. This piece also featured the percussion stylings of percussion student Daniel Sours.
The popular Steel Drum Band performed an arrangement, by Delia Alexander, of the traditional “Joy to the World”.
The final vocal part of the concert was 68 West, the jazz and acapela group. “The Boar’s Head Carol” featured Martin Jay McKee, Calvin-Paul Stewart, and Ian Walker. 68 West also sang “Quem Pastores,” a 14th century German song, and Jule Styn and Sammy Cahn’s “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” arranged by Michele Weir.
The Wind Ensemble returned to the stage to play Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker. The ASC Concert Band concluded the concert with “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Edward Pola and George Wyle, arranged by Chris Sharp. They also played Roy W. Kaighin’s “Santa’s Journey”. Preceding the concert was a bake sale to support ASC’s chapter of MENC.
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