How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? Be A Member Of The Scarsdale H.S. Wind Ensemble

The Scarsdale High School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of conductor Jason Noble, has been invited for the second time in two years to be a featured evening performer at Carnegie Hall. 

The "Debut Series" is presented each spring, featuring the most outstanding school ensembles from across the country.  The ensemble, made up of the most accomplished and dedicated wind and percussion instrumentalists at SHS, was selected as part of a competitive audition process. 

The wind ensemble will perform on Sunday, March 25, at 8:30 p.m., along with an orchestra from Texas, a university choir, and a national chorus. 

"I am so very honored, humbled, and continually energized to have the opportunity to work every day with such gifted and talented students at SHS,” said Noble. “Performing a concert of this magnitude, in front of a huge and musically astute audience, is a once-in-a-lifetime event for many musicians.  Some of our students will have played at Carnegie Hall twice in their high school career, which is an amazing feat.  I couldn't be happier about the dramatic, continued, and inspiring progress our ensembles have made.”

The ensemble will be performing two significant works for wind band.  First, the David Gillingham "Concertino for Four Percussion and Wind Ensemble" is a staple of the contemporary University band repertoire.  The Concertino features virtuosic mallet and battery percussion parts, exciting and aggressive brass contributions, and soaring woodwind lines. 

The 12 minute piece is rarely played by high school groups because of the high level of maturity, facility, and artistic demands placed on the players.  Finally, the Wind Ensemble will perform Alfred Reed's "El Camino Real:  A Latin Fantasy."  The 13 minute symphonic work features singable tonal melodies, exciting rhythmic drive from the percussion section, and very sensitive lyrical playing by the winds.  "El Camino Real" is often performed by All-State bands and honor bands across the USA.

“Band is an opportunity for collaboration, critical thinking, split-second aesthetic decision making, and community,” Noble said.  “Our students enjoy a collective pride when we put together a complex performance that features every single player and section.  The ensemble cannot be successful without 100 percent participation from every single member, and these students go above and beyond the call of duty every single day in and out of our classroom."

Tickets are available online at the Carnegie Hall box office by visiting www.carnegiehall.org.  Friends and family of the Scarsdale High School Wind Ensemble are able to take advantage of a 15 percent discount by using discount code FTN13498 when ordering online.