“The whole is greater than the sum of the parts,” said Concert Band Director Dr. John Hart. “It’s much more special and magical when it comes together than if it were to be performed separately.”
The Concert Band held its final concert of the academic year, titled “BLUE,” on Thursday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Theatre of the Redfern Arts Center.
The concert began with the Keene High School (KHS) band performing Randall Standridge’s “Choose Joy!,” Dan Forrest’s “A Basque Lullaby” and Cait Nishimura’s “Breath of the Mountains.” The KSC Concert Band then joined the KHS band for a joint performance of Katahj Copley’s “Halcyon Hearts.”
The KSC Concert Band finished the concert with performances of Music Department Faculty Dr. Heather Gilligan’s “Cerulean Rhythms,” John Mackey’s “Hymn to a Blue Hour” and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”
2024 marks the 100-year anniversary of “Rhapsody in Blue,” which was also performed during Evening of Dance.
“It’s been really interesting to contemplate its relevance and its place in society now, 100 years later,” said Hart. “Not just what has it meant over these past 100 years, but what does it actually mean to us now.”
“That’s been really interesting for me as a musician and a conductor, but also for the students participating in learning this iconic piece,” he added. “It’s so culturally significant.”
Hart said the Concert Band’s collaboration helped the ensemble learn.
“We got to learn a lot about how dancers experience art and how artistic expression manifests through dance,” he said. “And I think the dancers also learned from us as musicians how we tend to engage with artistic expression and exploration through music.”
Hart also said that the band liked the live performance aspect.
“The fact that you’re doing it live means that it’s never going to be exactly the same from night to night, that was a really cool part of the process,” he added.
The Keene High School Band Director, Joseph Conti, is also an alumnus of Keene State Class of 2018.
“It’s kind of a really cool moment to come back and direct my own group on the same stage that I learned to play in bands on,” Conti said.
Conti has been with KHS for a year and a half and shared his pride in his students.
“These kids are really good at diving into a deeper level of the piece rather than just ‘are we playing the right notes at the right time,’” Conti said.
Conti hopes his students learn from performing with the KSC band.
“I hope they learn that just because they don’t major in music, [it] doesn’t mean it has to stop,” he said. “The KSC Concert Band is a community-based ensemble, and it’s made up of music majors and a lot of non-music majors and adults who are just living their lives.”
“I hope they learn that music can follow you through your whole life and that the experience they’re getting now in high school will continue to follow them even if they don’t want to pursue music as a career,” he added.
Audience member Judy Marceau said that she enjoyed the event.
“It was wonderful,” she said. “I’m a retired music teacher, so it’s always good to see performances.”
Emily Sloane can be contacted at
esloane@kscequinox.com
