Band Concert at SHS

The Simsbury High School Music Department will be presenting two exciting holiday concerts this coming week, both free and open to the public. Prior to each concert, the SHS Chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society will be collecting canned goods in the school lobby for the Simsbury Food Pantry.

On Monday, December 7 at 7 p.m., the community is invited enjoy the music of the SHS Band under the baton of Director of Bands Lisa Abel. The concert, which will include guest instrumentalists from Henry James Memorial School directed by their teacher Charlotte D’Aleo, will take place in the high school auditorium.

The program will include audience favorites that range from traditional band repertoire to seasonal selections guaranteed to get everyone in the mood for the holidays. Snappy and toe-tapping Brazilian samba and upbeat African pieces will round out the program.

The concert will feature the premier performance of the Simsbury High combined Symphonic Winds, and the newly-formed Saxophone Ensemble. The Percussion Ensemble and the Saxophone Ensemble will welcome guest artists Elliot Wallace and Coast Guard Academy Musician First Class Joe D’Aleo, both of whom are instructors for the ensembles.

On Thursday (December 10) of next week, also at 7 p.m., the Simsbury High School Concert Orchestra, Freshmen Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra will be performing their annual winter concert under the direction of Dr. Ryan Ford. These performances will also take place in the Simsbury High School auditorium. The concert, which includes classical and seasonal music, will provide the audience with a pleasant mix of styles and interesting listening. Freshmen orchestra will perform Country Wedding from The Moldau (Bedrich Smetana), The Shepherd’s Farewell (Hector Berlioz), and Holberg Suite (Edvard Grieg). Concert Orchestra will perform Folk Tune (Percy Fletcher), Festival of Lights, and Ellis Island (Alan Lee Silva). Chamber Orchestra will perform the overture to Messiah (Handel), October (Eric Whitacre) and Archangelo Corelli’s Christmas Concerto.

In addition to the canned food drive, there will be a bake sale and t-shirt sale at the orchestra concert to support orchestra member Alice Li, who is recovering from a serious illness. All proceeds and any donations collected will be placed in a benefit fund for Alice.

The directors and students of the SHS Orchestra, SHS Band and HJMS Band welcome all who would like to attend their concerts and hope to see many family, friends and community members on the 7th and the 10th!