It may have been a peculiar evening of music that featured 40 students banging on buckets, but the St. Clair Concert Band & Choir put on a wondrous display of holiday spirit with their December 16 Holiday Concert.
Before the official start of the Holiday Concert, a handful of singers from the Concert Choir welcomed families and friends with a medley of Christmas Carols like “Silent Night.” The Concert Choir entered the gym in line and hummed a Christmas hymn as they stepped onto the risers. The blend of the warm baritones and melodic altos had the audience ready with anticipation as the Choir opened with more traditional Christmas music. Toes were tapping as classic tunes echoed in the big gym. The Men’s Ensemble performed “I See a Star” and the group had some harmonious notes in the higher register and Will Wellmann and Marshall Freitag bellowed a pairing of notes near the song’s end that hit the ear just right.
A Mixed Ensemble of about 15 vocalists gave a memorable performance with a rendition of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” The performance started strong as the baritones boastfully bellowed while the altos and sopranos sprinkled an assortment of “do-do-do” before they introduced Cole Willson as the narrator. Willson stunned many in the audience with his deep from the baritones while the alto and soprano as he hurled insults about the gruesome Grinch…the Ensemble appeared to be all smiles as occasional breaks would allow Willson to really let have the Grinch have it, “I wouldnt touch with a…39 and half foot poooole.” There were a few other moments where the humor of the song caught up with the vocalists, especially as they sang in unison “Stink. Stank. Stunk.” It was an enjoyable performance that ended with the Ensemble delivering a final “Wahhhh” as they shook their hands and the audience applauded loudly for the fun performance.
The Choir would return to a more traditional approach for the rest of their program as “Welcome, Welcome Winter” featured some noticeable classic songs and a catchy rhythm on the piano–played by Evan Topp–kept the vocalists cheery with the females taking the lead for much of the chorus as they would gradually build to a crescendo. The Women’s Ensemble performed a Spanish Hymn that showcased some poise from vocalists like Gracelyn Freitag, Meg Young, and Makenzie Lehmann as the three were standouts and the three would blend their vocals together for the song’s final few notes. With “Home for the Holidays”, the three would get their own solo to shine before the rest of the Choir would enter with a booming chorus.
The performance ended with another sustained high note then a quick descent into a soft “ooh” from the Choir…as the Choir held the note, Thorstad invited the audience to sing along with the Choir as they performed “Night of Silence”, a blend of “Silent Night” and other contemporary music. Lincoln Froehlich accompanied the Choir with his violin and Topp returned to play piano. The violin was a perfect addition to such an emotional tune, and the Choir delivered a remarkable rendition of a classic. Upon the second runthrough of the piece, Thorstad led the audience to sing along and while the patrons sang, the Choir hummed along while holding tiny candles. Truly an astonishing set of performances from the St. Clair Choir under Thorstad’s direction.
Carpenter and Concert Band took the stage and many musicians wore a variety of creative Santa hats. Their opening with “December Joy” featured an immediate contrast in sounds as the percussionists whacked on chimes with large mallets while a light fluttering by the flutes invoked feelings of holiday spirit. It was a booming way to begin their portion of the program and every section of the band had their own moment to shine as the saxophones pushed the tempo forward while the brass would deliver a sharp punch of sound until a final flourish from the entire band drew the song to a close.
Carpenter welcomed families and friends for attending the Holiday Concert and thanked the St. Clair district and community for the continued support of the music programs. She hinted that the upcoming piece would feature sections of a classic holiday tune, “Greensleeves” and advised the audience to “listen for it.” It was a woodwind-heavy selection, but the peacefully dulcet sounds included a solo by Maria Miller on oboe; there were several times the audience could make out particular parts of the performance to be reminiscent of “Greensleeves” and would hum along.
“Holly and Ivy” brought the program back to a more traditional holiday vibe, but it also presented a marching band feel as a muted trumpet section would follow in tempo with chimes and flutes that echoed throughout the gym. The performance turned out to be a medley of popular holiday songs and each section would highlight a specific tune. The final build toward the end of the piece showcased an incredible amount of control from the musicians as they climbed to a booming peak before dipping to a soft tone and finishing with a staccato triple to an eager audience ready to applaud.
The most notable performance from the Concert Band came with the inclusion of some unconventional instruments as the musicians unveiled a series of 10-gallon buckets. Each musician also held a pair of drumsticks and it was an absolute thrill as they either drummed, clacked, or banged on top, around the rim, or on the side of a Harbor Freight bucket…hope they got the bulk discount. At one point, the band played in perfect unison and it lent itself to a drumline or a marching band working through its sets. The performance hinged on a call and response between the bucket drummers and the percussionists; the big smiles on happy faces made this an enjoyable performance for everyone involved.
The finale of the night brought everyone on a “Sleigh Ride” as a handful of musicians shaked bells, and each section got their chance to perform the refrain of the song, but a final crack of the woodwhip ended the piece with a thunderous snap. It was an exceptional evening of music for the St. Clair Concert Band and Choir as the Holiday Concert left many in a cheerier mood on a chilly December night.
In just three years under their tutelage, Carpenter and Thorstad have guided two music programs that are headed in the right direction, and the Holiday Concert proved to be a culmination of the duo’s commitment to a high standard for the young musicians. Of course, there were standout performances from certain musicians, but the two groups are teeming with talent and dedication to the craft. The programs will now prepare for a series of competitions and public performances in the coming months–a community looks forward to seeing what this group of musicians can achieve.
