Call of the Wind

3 May 2016Christopher C, Rogers ‘16, Captain

The peak of our music season has arrived. Months of hard work and determination are released after a hop, a skip and a ferry ride. All of us were really excited for this opportunity to showcase our hard work at the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival. We got the chance to work with a Dr. Jonathan Girard, Professor of Music and Director of the UBC Symphony Orchestra, who helped develop our playing. We then got to break off into sectionals where UBC students and staff helped us with more specialized attention. Coming out of the workshops, we all felt on top of our playing, learning new tricks and improving the old. That night we took a trip to New Westminster to watch Fiddler on the Roof. The pit orchestra sounded amazing, the acting and singing were awesome, and the seats were like marshmallows. It was definitely a memorable experience that the Wind and String Ensemble families shared with one another. This performance left us in an inspired mood for the big performance the next day – although we were pretty beat after the long day and a late show! Birds could be heard as the sun rose with the ensemble. After a quick breakfast at the hotel, the ensemble was off to the races. It was just a 15 minute drive to the venue, but our mad dash was halted by a long and slow-moving train. Adrenaline kicked in as we all were worried about our precious warm-up time. As soon as we arrived, we quickly set up our instruments and tuned. The space we were to perform in was huge, which can be intimidating for a small band. When we ran through our pieces, we heard things we had never heard before due to the unique acoustic properties of the room. It was time. The three adjudicators walked in. Tension was high in the band as we only had one shot to create the correct notes, rhythm and tone. Mr. Clausen looked to the band, raised his hands and off we went. “Connemara Sketches” took the adjudicators on a journey to that region of Ireland. “Air for Band” was like a symphony: great harmonies and constant building towards the finale. Donald Coakley’s “Donkey Riding” paid homage to life and industry during Canada’s formative years on the Saint-Laurent. When the last note was played, rushes of happiness and relief swept through everyone. After our performance, one of the adjudicators worked with us, suggesting how we could improve. She gave us very valuable tips that we could work on for our next performance at the Port Alberni Festival on May 4th. Afterward we enjoyed a leisurely trip back to Brentwood so everyone could recover their voices and health from the seasonal cold making its way through the members of our ensembles. This was an excellent festival debut. We obtained a silver rating and, just as importantly, enjoyed a fun and rewarding shared experience. Christopher C, Rogers ‘16, Captain

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