Have you ever been to a stodgy orchestra concert waiting for the keytars and bongos to show up? Neither had I, but now I wonder why I never did. Because on Wednesday night, the winter concert for band and orchestra featured several unconventional performances, including improvisation by the concert band, junior Liam Schindler on the keytar, David Ehrlich and senior Adam Aune on the bongo, and a vocal solo by sophomore Anna Konstantopoulos.
“These concerts can get pretty boring to be very honest, and you just need to mix it up a little bit. You know, add some variety,” band teacher Andria Mullan said. “I just think it’s really fun to do pieces that have unique and different things.”
With the Jazz Band, Schindler performed using the keytar, a keyboard that is strapped on and held like a guitar.
“[Playing the keytar] is just something he really really wanted to do, and in a lot of concerts I wouldn’t have allowed it probably, but because it’s first semester jazz-band and he’s put in a lot of effort, I thought ‘Why not? Let him have a chance,’” Mullan said.
The concert also included a special performance from Anna Konstantopoulos, who sang with the Jazz Band. Mullan said that for the Jazz Band, accompanying a solo is much harder than normal play, as they have to pay attention to cues and listen to the flow and rhythm of the soloist.
“It’s a really nice challenge for [the Jazz Band],” said Mullan. “Plus Anna has a beautiful voice, so it’s great to hear her.”
The orchestra performance was more traditional, although they included sophomore Samuel Cheng on the piano. He also played violin during the concert.
“I think [this concert] was great,” orchestra teacher Catherine DeVos said. “They followed me well and I was happy with their enthusiasm and spirit.”
Freshman Taylor Schofield, who plays the string bass, also had much positive feedback about the concert’s result.
“I thought the performance was really good,” she said. “I thought the jazz band sounded really good and the symphonic band sounded good too. I liked all the songs that the orchestra played.”
Mullan was also happy with the concert.
“I think all of our students did a really nice job. They worked hard and they were obviously prepared, so what more can we ask for?” Mullan said.
