Northfield Music Celebrates Hard Work with Fall Concert
November, 2023
The first and second of November was an important time for Northfield performing arts, with performances from beginner and concert orchestra, advanced concert choir, beginning choir, NHS musical theatre, and beginner and concert band. By six o’clock each evening, the auditorium was full of students, teachers and families ready to hear our incredible music students perform pieces like “March of the Maestro Singers” and “Wild Mountain Thyme.”
The opening performance was from beginner orchestra, who orchestrated - yes, pun intended - a wonderful demonstration of their progress from the beginning of the year. Most of the music was performed “pizzicato”, a method of playing string instruments that requires the player to pluck the strings rather than use a bow. Their final song highlighted their progress with other techniques, as together they picked up their bows and began to play.
Next was the concert orchestra, with exuberant music such as “Dueling French Dances” and the lively and dramatic “Mythos.” The clear highlight of the show was “City of Steel,” a Batman-esque piece with an exquisitely dramatic finish. To top it all off, the performers all wore batman masks. Despite what I’m sure was a difficult three minutes reading sheet music through cardboard eye cutouts, it was a joy for the audience.
Musical theatre followed with a performance of “Waving Through a Window,” from the hit Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. It is admittedly challenging to stage a musical theatre performance with such large numbers, but I was delighted with the strong stage pictures and the excellent and frequent use of soloists. With just one chair per person, the ensemble was able to create interesting levels by having actors sit and stand on their seats. The group also had wonderful harmonies and a collective voice that was both strong and delicate.
Beginner and advanced choirs alike had strong performances. “Wade in the Water,” a resonant and rhythmic African American spiritual, demonstrated an impressive range from the beginner choir. Advanced choir had some serious fun with a choral arrangement of “All Star” by rock band Smash Mouth. Laina Eskins, a junior in the advanced choir said of performing the song “There were lots of parts to it. Especially the hardest was you had to go back and repeat some parts and then skip ahead to other parts, like codas.” The choir had indeed worked quite a bit with codas, it appeared, based on the way the song looped back and forth through chorus and verse. Overall, the group had an excellent and well rounded performance, with a strong variety in vocal types present.
Northfield’s band ensembles performed on the second night, with a show that Nathan Bekelman of concert band called “meaningful and relevant to world events.” He specifically mentioned their arrangement of dance music that celebrated the culture and heritage of Ukraine.
In all, Northfield’s music students put on a fabulous show this semester. Mark Miller, Mark Moen and Jennifer Carabetta, Northfield’s instrumental, choral and musical theatre directors, have demonstrated the strength of our musical programs through this performance, and students had the opportunity to proudly display their skills.
Looking for more music performance?
Stay tuned for more information about caroling, the spring musical - Rock of Ages, and more!
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