The sharp wind blew against my hair as I entered the front doors of Howard Performing Arts Center. Escaping the freezing weather, I was embraced by the warm, welcoming concert hall decorated in gold, red, and green lights. “Festive” is the word I could use to describe that stage, and the feeling of jubilation filled the air. The concert started with “The Purple Carnival March” (1933), composed by Harry Alford. Trumpets blared, clarinets soothed, and the flutes dazzled throughout the building. A mixture of percussion and saxophones clashed and brought forth necessary dramatic moments to every piece that needed it. Everyone from the horns to the piccolo could be heard, mixed to create sounds of glee in one’s ears, with sounds from Latin America to Continental Europe revealing themselves to the audience through the music.
There were plenty of highlights throughout the concert; however, I shall speak of a few that stood out for me. The first was “The Symphonic Gershwin” (1984), composed by George Gershwin and arranged by Warren Barker. Student conductor Jason Marquez (senior, clarinet performance) took the leadership role and brought forth a successful performance of the piece. Another highlight was a variety of solos from our own Humans section writer Anna Pak (freshman, psychology) as Section Leader for the flutes. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965/1998), composed by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson, and arranged by Carl Strommen, quickly became my favorite piece of the whole concert. Childhood memories flooded my brain, bringing me into a child-like state for the remainder of the concert. “Rhapsody on Christmas Carols” (1987), composed by Claude T. Smith; “The First Noel,” arranged by Julie Giroux; and “Selections from The Polar Express” (2004), composed by Alan Silvestri, Glen Ballard, arranged by Jerry Brubaker became audience favorites. Speaking about the audience, I went out and spoke with a few of my fellow observers.
The concert was pretty good. I liked it, my favorite being Gershwin (The Symphonic Gershwin).
Bella Hammond (junior, social work)
The music made me feel complete. I personally just love Christmas music.
Colin Cha (sophomore, biochemistry)
I think it was really good, with First Noel being my favorite. I didn’t watch Polar Express, but I really liked the song, and it made me want to watch the movie when I go back home tonight.
Rock Choi (sophomore, exercise science)
Loved the performance and especially the enthusiasm of the performers. Glad to see the Christmas spirit come alive in this building.
Andrea Luxton (Andrews University President)
When I went out into the ice-cold weather, I did not mind it because of the warmth that the concert brought forth to my soul. I highly recommend anyone to catch the next concert. Congratulations to everyone who performed, because the practice and dedication really showed in the performance.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.