Health & Fitness
Naugatuck HS Spring Concert - Small Ensembles
Three small ensembles took to the Davis Auditorium stage for an evening of music.
The 2014 Naugatuck High School Spring Concert featuring small ensembles was held on Tuesday, May 27. I had to miss the large ensembles due to a WAMS concert; my apologies to the concert and symphonic bands and I am sure that you were great.
The Jazz Band opened the concert with a fine set and were under the direction of Robert Hughes for the beginnings and ends of pieces. Mostly they were on their own because they are that talented.
"Vehicle" arranged by Paul Jennings featured Kaylin Spaulding on her bari sax and Greg Marquardt on trombone. "April in Paris" by Bob Lowden featured Mr. Marquardt and Steven Evarts on trumpet. "Skyfall" by John Berry was up next. Joe Garland's "In the Mood" had Megan McSweeney on tenor sax (and not her usual flute) and Russell Andrew on alto sax. The finale was an excellent rendition of "Big Noise from Winnetka" by Paul Lavender with Jacob Gibson on trumpet and Russell Andrew on alto sax.
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The NHS Chamber Singers took to their risers to perform a mix of musical pieces under the direction of Mahlon Peterson, a capella, of course. "Shenandoah" was arranged by James Erb. Alex Hernandez has a beautiful solo on "But Not For Me" by Gershwin. Paul McCartney's "I Will" was followed by U2's "MLK." The latter featured a solo by Danielle Eitapence. An unusual arrangement of the spiritual "Elijah Rock" was written by Moses Hogan. "Past Life Memories" was even more unusual and featured some Tibetan monk chants and was sung in 11 parts. The final three numbers were accented with loud thunder from the passing thunder storm. Then the Chambers continued their tradition of inviting former members of the group to join them for a fine rendition of "Good Night, Sweetheart."
The Percussion Ensemble then took to the stage, or perhaps took over the stage for their final performance of their 2014 show entitled "The Edge of Darkness" by Danny Elfman and arranged by David Dion. The music is from the 1989 movie Batman and here was performed by percussionists in orange jumpsuits and crazy makeup. The percussion ensemble which competes throughout the winter has been in existence for many years and has been undefeated for most of them. All I can say about this show is that it was as amazing as I had been told. Matthew Richter is their director and Robert Wilcox, Donny Binette, Erin McLaughlin and David Campbell are their instructors.
