After many long days of preparation, parents and students alike received an outstanding performance by Brookfield Central’s Bands: Concert, Symphonic, and Wind Ensemble. Since the beginning of the year, each band has grown and developed to become even greater in their musicianship, leading to the performance on May 7th at the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center. Each band had something special about their performance, so for those who missed the amazing concert, here you go.

Concert Band was the first band to perform. Compared to the beginning of the year, Concert Band made leaps and strides in their musicianship, and became greater students underneath the wise direction of Mr. Gillette. They played three pieces: To Seek the Glorious, Nostalgia, and American Big Top. According to the audience, Nostalgia was a favorite due to it’s soft melody and overall nostalgic qualities. Too add, it featured freshman Malena Weber on a fantastic oboe solo. To Seek the Glorious came in a close second, starting off the concert with a bang. American Big Top was a fantastic finish to the Concert Bands performance, featuring many different American tunes embedded in a score of syncopation and time changes.
Symphonic Band was the second band to perform. Before they played, Kiana Ratay performed a phenomenal duet on her french horn with a piano accompanist.

After she finished her shell-shocking piece, Symphonic Band played their three pieces: A Hymnsong of Philip Bliss, American Barndance, and Voodoo. They were all very great pieces, each featuring many of the great performers in Symphonic Band. But the highlight for all in the audience would be their final piece, Voodoo. With shocking visuals and other-worldly noises, the band gave off a creepy, chilling, and intense vibe. All of the audience was on the edge of their seats, screaming along with the performers in the darkness as lights and whistles blared through the concert hall. When it was finished, they received an outstanding ovation with many people surprised and exhilarated by the unique type of composition.

Wind Ensemble was the final band to perform. They played a variety of pieces: Sea Songs, Yiddish Dances, October, and Ride. Each was challenging and a force to be reckoned with, but Wind Ensemble played the pieces with ease, showing off the amazing talent of the students in the top band of Brookfield Central. Sea Songs was a sea chanty piece that was a calm and gentle start to their performance; It was largely contrasted, however, by Yiddish Dances, a piece that could arguably be one of the hardest of the night. It featured a fantastic bass section, Angela Lee on oboe, and Adarsh Rajaraman on saxophone. It held three movements: Khosidl, Turkische, and Freylachs. Each piece was fantastic in its own right, challenging the players with fast runs, intense dynamics, and odd syncopation. This Jewish piece was fun to play and listen to, a whole different form of music than in the usual classical world.

It was followed by October, a calmer song that brought tears to everyone’s eyes. As its soft melodies reverberated through the hall, the music reflected the soft colors of fall, and Tylan Farrokhnia was featured on tenor saxophone. It even brought tears to Mr. Gillette’s eye. Finally, Wind Ensemble finished off with Ride, an explosive piece with fast tempos and a solo featuring Adarsh Rajaraman on saxophone and Angela Lee on oboe. It was a great way to end the final band concert of this year and was quite ¨the ride¨.

Compared to the winter concert, all three bands improved drastically with their tone, musicality, and overall playing ability. They each showed off these skills in their pieces, ultimately giving an outstanding performance in the Wilson Center. This event is certainly burned into the minds of the audience, for it was truly a magical concert.