“Encore! Encore!” at Orchestra Hall

Imagine being a high school musician given the opportunity to perform on a stage where some of the greatest musicians have been before you. Imagine standing with your instrument clutched in your hands as hundreds of people stand up and applaud. Imagine travelling almost halfway across the country with the most amazing group of people you have ever met. This past weekend the Windham High School Concert Band did just that; we performed at Orchestra Hall in Chicago at the WorldStrides Heritage Festival of Gold.

Last year at the Heritage Festival in New York City we received the Adjudicator’s Award, a Gold First, the Outstanding Band Award, and an invitation to the Festival of Gold. “The festival is a celebration of musical excellence where student musicians are provided the opportunity to both showcase as well as develop their talents . . . The event is firmly rooted in spreading the passion of music and sharing what it is we love to do,” explained our director, Mr. Jared Cassedy.

            Our first full day in Chicago started with an Honors Orchestra rehearsal. Twenty-two wind players and percussionists from the WHS band participated in this group along with many string players from Stillwater, Oklahoma. The group was rehearsing to perform at the encore concert on the last night of the trip. That day we explored both the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium, seeing everything from Sue the T-rex to playful dolphins and belugas.

            The nighttime brought with it an explosion of music, beginning with dinner at Andy’s Jazz Club. Posters from jazz festivals lined the walls, as did photos of famous jazz musicians. A trio performed a couple sets, giving us a taste of some of Chicago’s famous jazz. “It’s inspiring to be in a place where there is a lot of musical history,” said sophomore Brynn Roche. Afterward, we headed to Orchestra Hall to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Walking in, we were all awed by the stage and the acoustic miracle that we would be performing in just a couple days later. The orchestra itself was astonishing; one song and we were all on our feet, reminded of what it is that makes us want to play music. There’s something about the way a professional orchestra performs that is so inspiring, so touching that the audience can’t help but respond with as much energy as the musicians give off. We were going to experience what this feels like while on the stage of Orchestra Hall.

The next day we had a clinic with Dr. Michael Bankhead, who is a professor at Utah State University and a past director of the United States Air Force Band. Between Mr. Cassedy’s hard work with us and Dr. Bankhead’s experience, the clinic helped us polish up before our performance.

            We spent part of the day at the Museum of Science and Industry and, that night, attended a formal banquet with all the other groups performing in the festival.

Finally came the day of the performance. To be honest, I was incredibly nervous to perform at Orchestra Hall. Everyone was: the stage is a dream come true for any musician. Mr. Cassedy told us all to just look around when we got out there, and I didn’t know what he meant until I saw it for myself. The audience seems to stretch forever, up, up and away. Your heart starts pounding as you think of all the other musicians who have graced the very stage you are standing on. Before I knew it, we were starting with “Puszta” by Jan Van der Roost. Even though we were nervous, the energy on stage was spectacular. At the end of the piece we all took a deep breath and began Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium,” our slowest and most mentally challenging piece. With our passion and the amazing acoustics, the piece was simply stunning. Finally, we ended the concert with Robert Jager’s “Esprit de Corps.” “It felt like we were coming together almost as a family with the common bond of our love for music and just showcasing our hard work to the public. This experience really brought us together and strengthened our passion for performing great music together,” said senior Melanie Fenton.

            We left Orchestra Hall and headed for Millennium Park to take a picture by the famed “Cloud Gate,” or the “giant jellybean.” Mr. Cassedy stood in front of us and asked how we thought we did as we all agreed that we did well. Trying to keep a straight face, Mr. Cassedy told us all the exciting news; as the highest scoring concert band, we were selected to play in the encore concert. The parents stood around taking pictures as all of us cheered and some teared up, unable to believe that among all of the amazing groups we had heard that day, we were chosen to play again. “The most memorable thing for me was Mr. Cassedy telling us that we won and we were performing in the encore concert . . . it made the picture 100% genuine,” said freshman Kaley Missert.

            Ecstatic, we headed to the Chicago Institute of Art, and after to Gino’s Pizza for a taste of true Chicago deep-dish. And suddenly, it was time for the encore.

            The Honors Orchestra performed first, an arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Michael Huff, the artistic director of the festival. Everyone who participated in the festival sang along in harmony, creating a chorus of over 600 voices. It was simply gorgeous. The Honors Choir also performed later on, some of our band’s brass players and percussionists accompanying them. 

The next group to go on was our concert band. With no added stress of being adjudicated, we all walked onto the stage in pure elation, eager to perform just for sake of performing.  As our fearless leader Mr. Cassedy put it, “it was an outstanding experience and a moment in time where we performed our absolute best and with the most passion possible.  There is nothing like performing in front of an audience that truly supports, understands, and can connect to what it is you are doing.” The standing ovation seemed to last forever, all the energy we put into our performance being echoed right back at us from an audience of fellow musicians. Christine Carpenter, a graduating senior, was amazed at how far the band has come. “In the past four years, the band has changed from a group of students coming together to learn music to a group of musicians coming together to make music. The band has grown into an ensemble that understands what it means to play with expression and musicality and really connect with a piece and the rest of the ensemble,” she said. Of course, all of us musicians in the band know that we would never have reached this level if it were not for our director.

            Mr. Cassedy explained, “As a younger teacher and conductor, to be given an opportunity like this was unlike any other experience I have ever been afforded.  To be there with my students, these young men and women who are a source of great inspiration, was a truly remarkable, memorable, and emotional milestone in my career.  This was an experience that I will never forget and will treasure for the rest of my life.”