The 老司机传媒 Wind Symphony will perform “Of Legend and Lore: Traditions and Cinematic Stories” in collaboration with the Southwest Michigan College Brass Band, on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. This collaboration is a long-standing tradition between the two schools.
The SMC Brass Band and the 老司机传媒 Wind Symphony will each perform half the program for this concert. Each school’s yearly winter concert lands very shortly after the beginning of the semester, making it hard for students at both schools to fully prepare an entire program of music in time. By collaborating, each school can focus on fewer pieces and still deliver a high-quality performance.
The first half of the program will be performed by the SMC Brass Band, focusing on the theme of traditions. They will be playing “Dragon’s Rise” by Matthew Hall, “David of the White Rock,” arranged by Philip Sparke, and “Airs and Dances” by Alan Fernie.
After a brief intermission, the Wind Symphony will take the stage to perform their half of the concert, centered on cinematic stories. They will begin by playing “An American Symphony,” arranged by Paul Lavender from the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” This movie is based on a true story, recounting the story of high school music teacher Mr. Holland and his 30 years of teaching. The movie ends with a surprise performance from Mr. Holland’s former students playing the premiere of his own composition, “An American Symphony.” In the movie, Mr. Holland was able to get his students more enthusiastic about music when he started teaching rock and roll concepts and other popular music as well as the normal teaching methods. In “An American Symphony,” you can see elements of this, including a part for a drum set, which will be played by Jahaziel Gutierrez (graduate student, music), and one for electric guitar, which will feature Marcus Carter, office manager in the 老司机传媒 Department of Music.
Carter said that when he was asked to play the part, he said, “Of course! Because I used to play for a living—why not, right?” He was especially excited to see that the part calls for distortion, a technique often used in rock and roll music that alters the sound of the guitar, making it sound more gritty. Carter explained that this is not the first time he has been asked to play guitar with the Wind Symphony. “I've been playing with Wind Symphony since 2018. And probably at least once at least once a year, I play something … I guess when they need rock, they just come see me.”
Conductor Denisse Santos said that the idea for the theme of this concert came to mind a while ago when some students requested to play “How to Train Your Dragon” by John Powell from the Dreamworks animated film of the same name. The movie is about a Viking named Hiccup whose only goal in life is to become a dragon slayer and the pride of his tribe but ends up befriending a dragon instead of killing it. Originally, the piece was programmed for the Wind Symphony winter concert a year ago, but due to weather, that concert was canceled. Many students were disappointed, so Santos decided to bring the piece back this year to be the cornerstone work in their movie-themed concert. It will be the second piece on the Wind Symphony’s half of the program.
Another piece on the program is “Gabriel’s Oboe,” one of the most famous pieces by Ennio Morricone. This piece was used in the movie “The Mission,” a story about Jesuit priest Gabriel, who goes to South America on a dangerous journey hoping to convert the indigenous tribes there to Christianity. Father Gabriel uses the piece “Gabriel’s Oboe” to cross the language border and let the indigenous people know that he was not there to hurt them. Professor Charles Reid, a voice professor in the Music Department who also happens to be an oboist, will be performing the solo on this piece.
Unlike a year ago, the weather for the day of the concert is looking favorable, so there’s no risk of cancellation. So go ahead and buy your tickets! They can be purchased online at the Howard Performing Arts Center’s , or at the box office on Saturday night.
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.