On May 15th, enthusiastic parents and community members applauded Haven’s musical ensembles while sounds of American classics reverberated around the Strath Haven High School auditorium.
The concert, titled “Rhapsody in (Red, White, and) Blue”, was the second of two concerts exploring American music, featuring performances from three different student ensembles: the wind ensemble, the symphony and string orchestras, and the symphonic band.
“I usually theme the concert somehow, whether by the composers or the style of music or something within the music,” Band and Orchestra Director Mr. Nick Pignataro said. “All the composers for the past two concerts were either American composers, or composers from other countries that influenced United States music.”
With the exception of composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, who was born in Brazil, every composer featured in this concert was born in the United States. The mix of their differently styled music came together to showcase the beauty of American music.
Along with nine musical pieces that were performed live during the concert, the audience also heard music that the band had previously recorded during their Disney trip that took place in early March. During their trip, orchestra members had the opportunity to work in a professional recording studio and record Disney music that they had learned earlier that same day.
“That is the work of a three or four-hour morning,” Pignataro said. “Probably a highlight of my career so far was doing that–seeing that recording session.”
Now, months later, the audience at the Strath Haven concert was able to watch clips of the Disney movie “Moana”, accompanied by the music played by their own Strath Haven band.
The concert also featured many student soloists. Some of the solos included senior Sara Ventriglia’s cello solo and xylophone solos performed by senior Nathan Sepinwall and freshmen Franklin Griffin and Juliette Loyd.
The talent with which the soloists performed displayed the hard work that each had put into perfecting their pieces.
“We have been playing that [piece] since March regularly, but I have been practicing during lunch because we had to memorize it,” freshman Juliette Loyd said.
Loyd believes that the practice paid off.
“It was really exciting because I got to play with one of my best friends Frankie Griffin and my mentor Nate Sepinwall,” Loyd said. “It was a really fun piece.”
Along with the audience’s applause, the auditorium was also filled with laughter when senior Cristina Machado interrupted the musical pieces with a prank video targeting Pignataro.
“Seniors in the past have done a prank video, although last year the seniors didn’t do one,” Machado said. “So this year, I really wanted to make sure we could bring it back strong and make a good one, so that it would continue the tradition for next year.”
The video was a compilation of funny quotes that students had heard from Mr. Pignataro throughout the year. The audience continued laughing from the second the video began to play to the moment it ended and Mr. Pignataro could also be seen laughing along with every joke.
The music, energy, and the laughter and cheers made the May concert a fun experience for many.
“I love concerts because they are just a blast. [They are] a true celebration of our community,” Pignataro said.
