A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…well, maybe not that far away! Middle and Upper School band students took a delighted audience of parents and friends on a journey to Orthwein Theater for the Spring Band Concert on May 4, which also happens to be National Star Wars Day. The bands performed music from the film with twinkling stars hanging from the ceiling while the audience waved mini lightsabers to the beat.
The sixth-grade band kicked off the evening with Midnight Madness and The Tempest; then, the seventh-grade band took the stage for a rousing performance of Jester Dance and Cahokia that would even make a Wookiee smile. Each number was introduced by students who provided background on the composer, song, and in some cases, inspiration for the piece. The seventh-grade brass and woodwind ensembles performed before the two bands were combined for a final galactic number: the Star Wars main theme song.
For the second show, the eighth-grade band demonstrated their Jedi band skills with Ode to Joy, Extremis, and Lady Liberty March. Like the Millenium Falcon, the Upper School Jazz Band soared in to perform St. Louis Blues and All of Me, while soon after, the Upper School Concert Band used the Force to deliver The Great Locomotive Chase and Shenandoah. The combined bands closed out the show with Star Wars – The Force Awakens.
The Upper School band bids farewell to two musically accomplished seniors, Sam Lustgarten ’22 and Nina Hamilton ’22. Lustgarten shared, “If there is anything I loved most about band, it’s the people: the teachers and students combine to create a fun and exciting community dedicated to making beautiful music. It has been something I have enjoyed throughout my entire MICDS career, and I am sure that I will miss it dearly.” Band Directors Becky Long and Josh Baumgartner thanked everyone for believing in the power of music education, and as Yoda would say, “Pass on what you’ve learned you must, always.” Daniel Kuhlman ’27 remarked on the concert experience, “I really enjoyed playing in the band because this was only the second concert I have had in the last three years. I can’t wait for next year’s concert. I also enjoyed playing with the eighth grade and Upper School band because it was a good experience for me to have.”
Congratulations to our musical Ram padawans! Check out the full concert program here.