Spring Concert Paves the Way for Success in Hershey

   The Spring Concert, held on May 15^th, included performances by the WRHS Combined Choirs, Chamber Choir, Jazz Band, and Concert Band. It proved to be a successful performance, which led to an award winning performance the next day at the Music in the Parks festival competition in Pennsylvania.

   Chamber Choir began the night singing five songs including M.L.K., by the band U2. This was sung in darkness to create the mood of the music. It featured a soloist as   Brandon Hayse, and the quartet that followed him consisted of Candice Gagnon, senior alto, Tom Norton, senior bass, Emily Thiel, junior soprano, and Gwendolyn Kirkland, sophomore soprano. 

   After Chamber Choir’s last song, Alleluia, Concert Choir joined them on stage to sing another four songs. Sean Lewis, WRHS Music Teacher, directed both Chamber Choir and the Combined Choirs.

   The accompanist was Allison Touhy, WRHS freshman, who played Firefly Darkness and Deep River for the choirs. Deep River featured soloist, Heather Wild, and a student conductor, Candice Gagnon.

   “I chose to conduct [Deep River] because I have many friends in the U.S. Marines and other branches of the military, all overseas in Korea, Iraq, and Israel,” said Gagnon.

   “I felt like it was a song of hope and knowing that during every obstacle of life, including in the military, you can always find that special place in your mind where you can go and find yourself. The fact that I’m going into the Marines and knowing I’m going to have to face that, I want to keep faith now so I never lose it.”

   Gagnon’s attachment to the song was expressed through her passion for the music and through her speech to the audience. She dedicated the song to her friends currently in Israel, as well as to everyone fighting for our freedom. With this message the song turned into a powerful performance.

   Another song performed by the choirs was The Echo Song, an Italian piece that featured a selective group of Chamber Choir singers in the back of the audience to serve as an echo to the group onstage.

   “It was a great experience to be able to hear the choir from a different point of view. We had fun with it,” said Caitlin Lavaway, junior soprano in the echo group.

   The group finished with Bridge Over Troubled Water and left the stage for the WRHS Jazz Band, directed by Stephen St. Georges, WRHS music teacher.

   Jazz Band had their debut performance at the Spring Concert playing Cantaloupe Island and Gonna Fly Now. After their performance, Concert Band ended the night.

   “A Festival of Conductors” featured four student conductors, and put the finishing touches on the Spring Concert. The conductors prepared their own song to conduct, took conducting classes, and practiced with St. George and the band in order to be ready for the concert.

 The four conductors were senior, Michelle Marone, juniors Dan Iwaniec and Emily Thiel, and sophomore, Stewart Wilson. They controlled the rest of the night after St. Georges directed two songs then left the remaining four to his student conductors as he joined the band to play bass clarinet.

   Iwaniec conducted Eljen A Magyar! a complex song. Iwaniec said it was arguably harder than Fugue on Yankee Doodle, which St. George conducted and said was the toughest song, based on how fast they had to play the rhythm.

   Marone played a more mellow song, Acrostic Song.  She hoped this song would inspire others as it inspired her.

   The next song, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, was conducted by Wilson. The song was very popular and was preformed in the Music in the Parks festival competition in Pennsylvania.

   The night ended with Thiel’s conducting Armed Forces �" The Pride of America! She, like Gagnon, dedicated the song to those in the armed forces which include her brother. She believed strongly in the cause and was glad to have had the conducting experience.

   “The men and women in the forces are always doing the best they can for us, the least we can do is honor them through music and song. I enjoyed this piece and the fantastic effort, and the opportunity I was bole able to participate in,” said Thiel.

   The Spring Concert was full of patriotism, newly exposed talent, and music. It was the perfect program to represent all of what the WRHS music students and teachers who have worked for this year.

   “I want my students to experience music in as many different ways as possible. With every day that passes I come to appreciate more and more the individuals and creativity our WRHS students have, and it’s exciting for me to experience all that they are capable of musically,” said Lewis.