The holiday concerts for band and orchestra were held on Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 respectively.
Upper school and middle school students in both the band and orchestra performed Christmas and winter songs in conjunction with the debut performance of Mount Pisgah’s new Glee Club.
Mrs. Lewis, director of the band program, describes the theme of the concerts with three words: “Nostalgic, Warm, Glorifying.”
The repertoire was decided by the length of the music, difficulty, style and cultural difference, including songs from different areas of the world. The opinions of the student performers are also taken into consideration.
“I think the pieces selected are great,” said junior orchestra player Purity Stevens. “They’re perfect and simple pieces that capture the spirit of Christmas beautifully.”
The seventh and eighth graders in the band performed “Sleigh Ride” after months of preparation.
“[“Sleigh Ride”] features the saxophone section, and those guys have worked exceptionally hard this year,” says Lewis.
Mr. Wheeler, the director of the orchestra program, highlights selected pieces for the orchestra and Glee Club.
“’Invicta’ showcases one of our rising violinists who will compete in the state & final round for All-State Orchestra,” said Wheeler. “Our Upper School Glee Club, led by Mrs. Christa Young, made their debut performance performing “Man With The Bag” by Jessie J. Lastly, you got to hear a world premiere musical work called “Promise of the Rose”.”
“Promise of the Rose” is written by Wheeler himself. It is based on the hymn “Lo How A Rose E’re Blooming”, which has direct references to Isaiah 11:1. The hymn describes a rose shooting out from the Tree of Jesse. The Tree of Jesse represents the genealogy of Jesus from David to Jesse, while the rose is a symbol for Jesus.
“I chose to write this for two reasons. First, I like the hymn and it fits with the Christmas season. Second, I couldn’t find a good arrangement of our orchestra to play, so I decided to write one,” explains Wheeler.
Sophomore Gabe Morgan made his first performance with the Glee Club.
“It was exhilarating being up there with all these people. We had a great time practicing all year, and we worked really hard,” said Morgan.
These concerts are the culmination of the hard work of Mount Pisgah students and the Fine Arts teachers throughout the fall semester.
“The vision is always showcasing the growth, creativity and upward trajectory of music and fine arts at Mount Pisgah,” says Wheeler.
