Co-written by Ileana Walk

On September 27th at 2:00 pm, Southwestern’s Wind Ensemble and Orchestra had their first performance of the year. The wind ensemble performed first, followed by a brief intermission, and then the orchestra.

The wind ensemble, conducted by Director David Norris, performed the classic, “Florentiner March” by Julius Fučík, to open the concert. This was followed by the beautiful, lyrical, and emotional “Chorale and Shaker Dance” by John Zdechlik. The third performance was a trombone trio played by Sam Abazie ‘29, Ashton Quadrini ‘27, and Noah Reus ‘26. The piece, “Three Cadets” by Floyd O. Harris, showed off the trombonists’ skills and technique. The closing piece was a modern rhythmic composition titled “Sang!” composed by Dana Wilson, ending the performance with high energy.

The orchestra played three pieces: George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings,” the first movement of Joseph Suk’s “Serenade for Strings,” and all three movements of Edward Elgar’s “Serenade for Strings.” The pieces, though difficult, left a resonant sound throughout the auditorium. The Orchestra was conducted by Director Emma Strub.

There are still more concerts and performances this semester! There will be a choir concert on Saturday, November 22nd at 7:30 pm. The Southwestern University Jazz Band concerts are on Thursday, October 21st at 6:00 pm and Tuesday, December 2nd at 7:30 pm. The next Wind Ensemble/Orchestra concert will be Saturday, November 15th at 12:00 pm and a Percussion Ensemble will perform Sunday, November 2nd at 4:00 pm. Lastly, don’t forget to see the theater department’s first play of the year, Men on Boats, starting November 7th at the Jones Theater.