The Bridgewater-Raritan High School bands held their first concert of the school year, called the Concert in the Round, on November 16.
As a part of the Bridgewater-Raritan High School band program this year, students in the Concert Band, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble had a concert-like experience from the comfort of the rehearsal room.
During each period in which an ensemble met, friends from other bands, those outside of the program and family members sat around the group as they performed their selected repertoire.
Concert Band, the 9th grade band ensemble, performed as a group for the first time this year. The groups’ selection of music consisted of “Rhythm Machine” by Timothy Broege, “Sea Trilogy” by Elliot de Borgo, “Air for Band” by Frank Erickson and “Incantations” by Robert W. Smith.
Their hard work paid off as this performance has set the stage for them to advance and achieve more in the future.
The Symphonic Band, an ensemble consisting of students ranging from grades 10-12, performed as well. Their repertoire consisted of “Fanfare for Our Time” by Tyler S. Grant, “Rondo for Winds and Percussion” by John Edmonson, “Sentimentale” by Satoshi Yagisawa and “Seventy-Six Trombones” from “The Music Man” by Meredith Wilson. The Symphonic Band played music for our school community and parents that attend. This performance was the second of three performances, the last being the Wind Ensemble.
The Wind Ensemble, an honors-level and audition-only ensemble consisting of students from grades 10-12, gave a performance reflecting the practice that went into it. Their performance repertoire also consisted of “Musica Boema” by Zdeněk Lukáš, “Fairest of the Fair” by John Philip Sousa, “Life Unto the Age” by Haley Woodrow and “Dance of the Jesters” by Peter Tchaikovsky.
Concert in the Round offers all band ensembles and families with children in the program an opportunity to see the work all three classes put into their music pay off. This is one of the many events hosted by the BRHS bands, including many other performances to come.
