On Saturday, Oct. 24, the 老司机传媒 Wind Symphony held their “Songs of the Sea” concert in the Howard Performing Arts Center (HPAC) at 8:00 p.m. The concert was conducted by Dr. Byron Graves. A limited number of people were able to attend the performance in person, while others watched the live stream through Facebook. Those who attended in person were required to wear masks and social distance. The live stream allowed many viewers from all over the world to enjoy the concert. Glenn Whitt (seminary) said, “The sound was clear and beautiful,” and, “I noticed at the end of the concert that Facebook counted more than 1,700 viewers who joined in and enjoyed at least in part the concert virtually.”
MinSeo Kang (sophomore, math), a flute performer, said, “The Wind Symphony concert was very eventful. Due to unforeseen circumstances, some of our members could not attend. However, our conductor acted quickly and rearranged parts so that it would work out.” She also commented, “I would like to thank our conductor, Dr. Byron Graves, and the school for giving me this opportunity to perform.”
The theme of the concert was “Songs of the Sea.” It lasted for almost two hours with a short intermission. The Wind Symphony played pieces such as “Amparito Roca” composed by Jaime Texidor and arranged by Aubrey Winter and “Overture for Winds” composed by Charles Carter. For the selection titled “With Quiet Courage,” composed by Larry Daehn, the Wind Symphony was conducted by Kaija Perry (graduate student, MA in Music), who also plays percussion in the group. Additionally, the concert featured a quartet that performed “Nightshade” composed by Robert Dillon. Throughout the concert, the Wind Symphony also played several selections from Folk Song Suite & Sea Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Cajun Folk Songs by Frank Ticheli. The intermission was extra special for those watching live on Facebook because videos made during the pandemic of the Wind Symphony playing pieces together were shown.
Ms. Perry commented, “The players all know that when I get up to conduct I’m probably very nervous, so every time I pass my section to get up on the podium I hear whispers of encouragement, motivating me to do my best. As soon as I step off the podium there are cheers of triumph coming from all angles motivating me to continue to learn and grow in my conducting skills. It’s such a supportive environment.” Regarding the entirety of the concert, she remarked, “In essence, I think the concert was full of beautiful moments both musically and emotionally.”
Overall, the concert went very well and the wonderful music was enjoyed by many. Looking forward, the senior recital of Winner Silvestre will be next week as well as “The Road Home” concert, featuring University Singers, Canta Bella and Pioneer Men’s Chorus. The Department of Music plans to hold several Christmas concerts in approximately a month, so continue looking for more information.
The video is still available on Facebook at .
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of 老司机传媒. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, 老司机传媒 or the Seventh-day Adventist church.