On Thursday, December 19th, we again filled the South End with the sounds of beautiful music. This time our student musicians in grades 3 to 7 showed off their skills and their hard work in an astonishing array of ensembles. The Dudamel Brass led by Resident Artist Chris Schroeder set the seasonal stage with a specially arranged Deck the Halls Fanfare played across the top of the hall from balcony to balcony. Not to be outdone, the younger, Abbado Wind players answered with a Heroes March.
Our intermediate Abbado String Orchestra led by Resident Artist Josh Garver then took the stage. They played the Scherzo from M.J. Isaac’s Apollo Suite and then the traditional English folk tune, Greensleeves demonstrating their expressive playing and their smooth bow strokes. The orchestra finished with Burst! by Brian Balmages. Just as the name suggests, we saw fireworks while the students played.
Following the strings, we brought out two new ensembles. Led by Resident Artist Juan Ruiz, our newly created Goodman Ensemble, made up of all our clarinetists played Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik K.525 and a piece written by Mr. Ruiz, One More Time. Great acclaim for all! Next, our new middle schoolers, under the direction of band leader and Resident Artist Clayton DeWalt, played Simple Gifts and When the Saints Go Marching In. The audience clapped along and then clapped some more as Mr. DeWalt reminded us that these were all beginning musicians. We are so proud of their progress!
