The Souderton Area High School Music Department presents
2020 Virtual Winter Band Showcase Concert Band Adam L. Tucker, Conductor
2020-2021 SAHS Concert Band
Flute Baritone Saxophone Aditya Bhandari Ethan Lafredo Emily Bucher Joey Nase Rahela Dolha+ Lauren Douglas French Horn Grace Fitzhenry Sonia Dharmani Abigail Gladwell^ Jacob Dommel Riley Goshow+* Douglas Reilly Abigail Mast Shanley Wall Ashlyn Odenwald^ Ashley Paturzo Trumpet Thomas Thompson* Ang Borisow Kaitlyn Tobin Joey Crecca Kathryn Yaglenski^ Matthew Cutrona*+ Aonghas Evanick+ Clarinet Ethan Kanike Ava Beskar^ Aidan Maue Nate Eraydin Michael Petrillo^ Tayler Garges+* Michael Salter Arman Khatri Ryan Schlipf* Hannah Magdsziak Lillie Wade Gabrielle Micsion* Carter Wright Maddie Skrzat^ Preston Ziegenfuss Kassandra Smith Avery Taylor^ Trombone Naomi Thompson Joe Armstead Landon Catto Bass Clarinet Devon Maue Maggie Duesberry*+ Harvey Reilly Sam Gerhart Tuba Contra Alto Clarinet Clinton Radcliff Elizabeth Hedrick Chase Walker
Alto Saxophone Percussion Zoe Bass Garrett Blankenstein+*^ Adam Borisow*+ Justin Calin+ Noah Connor Ben Christopher Dillan Lobel Chase Clemmer Lincoln Weidner Mason Kostick Hunter Weitzel^ Zane Kostick Andrew Kraus Tenor Saxophone Austin Kreyenhagen^ Andrew Febus+ Matthew Ranieri Will Stanczewski Miranda Razzi+ Rinaldo Rossi
*- Senior Member +- Symphonic Band Member ^- Not present in recording
Celebration for Christmas…………...…...arranged by Randall D. Standridge
The Haunted Carousel………………………………………....….Erika Svanoe
Hans Zimmer: Movie Milestones………………...arranged by Michael Brown
Program Notes Hello and Happy Holidays! I think we can all agree that this is weird. I’ve never had to make opening remarks in print before. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever written these down before in my 20 years of teaching! However, in this changing landscape, everything is weird, but what hasn’t changed is the desire to make great music, and you have these students to thank for that. It’s not a typical performance, but it still shows the dedication and perseverance these musicians have to create, rehearse and perform these pieces they have been working on since August. Their ability to overcome our unique situation and still find a way to present this concert is a testament to how wonderful these band students are, and you should be proud of them. I know I am!
I want to thank the SAHS administration for their unbelievable support in creating this showcase, as well as all of the faculty and staff for making it work. But my largest thanks go to you, the parents and families of the band students. Without your support this program would not exist. Words cannot express my gratitude, especially in a year where the easiest solution was to simply not play an instrument. All of you are the reason we can still have a thriving program here at SAHS, so I cannot thank you enough.
Enough talk, on with the show!
Celebrations for Christmas- A new endeavor for the band this year was for the students to find some pieces THEY were interested in playing, not just pieces based off of my interests. One of these pieces (thanks to Hunter Weitzel for discovering it) is this energetic and very creative medley of lesser known Christmas songs. You’ll hear some familiar favorites like Joy to the World and The First Noel, but you’ll also hear I Saw Three Ships and the wonderful Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella. What makes this piece truly special is the way Randall Standridge brings all of these themes together, and I mean literally. There are sections where all four of these themes are occurring at the same time! Add to that a cracking tempo and we have a phenomenal piece that I will most definitely be revisiting with future bands.
The Haunted Carousel- If your child is an upperclassmen then you know my Winter Concerts are not just reserved for Christmas themes. For you new parents, I like to program at least one piece that relates to a criminally ignored holiday in the annals of high school band programs… Halloween! Why do so many directors ignore all the great pieces written for Halloween? Well, not me! This piece follows the story of a young woman who fatally falls off a Merry-Go-Round and now haunts it with her banshee-like voice. This voice is represented by a truly unique instrument called a Theremin. I chose to prepare this piece during the COVID pandemic specifically because of the Theremin; it is an electronic instrument that DOESN’T REQUIRE YOU TO TOUCH IT TO PLAY! Sometimes you have to make that lemonade, am I right? You will hear the Theremin blend with the rest of the band throughout the piece and, if you use your creative ears, you’ll even be able to hear the carousel break down at the end. Special mention must go to our Thereminist (?) Douglas Reilly and all of the students who took the time to learn this wonderfully weird instrument!
Hans Zimmer: Movie Milestones- Hans Zimmer is a master film composer, most recently recognized for scores from the movies X-Men: Dark Phoenix and Wonder Woman 1984. This medley also contains some memorable themes from older films such as Driving Miss Daisy (which a total of two students had heard of), Crimson Tide (any parents remember that one?), Madagascar (a favorite of the band for sure), and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (FYI that was the third one). Playing this piece actually gave me the opportunity to talk about these movies with the students. Film scores add so much weight to films and many people don’t think about their importance. Most people who have seen any Pirates movie know the theme and probably start humming it right away. That’s a testament to not only the talent of Hans Zimmer but the true power of music as a medium. I also loved sharing my theater-going experiences about these movies with the band. Of course, when I mentioned that I saw Driving Miss Daisy in the theater most of the students just called me old. I was only 9 when it came out, so I’m not THAT old. Right?
I love teaching high school.