A Night of Music and Song at WSHS
Alison Gerow, Staff Writer
On October 18th at 7 pm, the Wallkill Senior High School hosted their annual Pops Concert. This is a concert in which most of the music ensembles from the district come out and show their skills. This is the only concert in which groups from all of the schools in the district come out to play. The first performance was by the Elementary Honors Orchestra led by Ms. Edie Duncan. Their performance was quite funny. Both the honors band and orchestra were all dressed up in their Halloween costumes and during the honors orchestra performance of "Ninja", they followed some phrases with a swift kick (and of course, Ms. Duncan did too). They were then followed by the Elementary Honors Band led by Mrs. Rubenstein. The High School Madrigal Choir hit the stage next in the lineup, led by Mrs. Dawn Amthor. They sang two pieces. The Madrigal Choir opened their performance with a few bars of "Crazy Train" by Brenden Butler and Liam Butler. They had an amusing performance and of course a wonderful sound as they sang their pieces. They were then followed by the JGBMS String Orchestra (both 7th and 8th grade orchestra) led by Mr. Adam Kuliszewski. After them came the Wallkill High School Handbell Ensemble led by Mrs. Dawn Amthor. This was their debut performance, as this is the first year of the ensemble, and it was well-received. They were then followed by the High School's first major instrumental ensemble of the night, the String Orchestra, led by Mrs. Ashley Contzius. They played a really cool piece called "Take Five". The JGBMS Concert Band (both 7th and 8th grade band) followed also led by Mr. K, playing a rendition of "Amazing Grace". The High School Women's Choir, led by Mrs. Amthor sang two songs with vocal and instrumental solos and accompaniments'. The first piece was "When October Goes" with a stunning vocal solo by Joslyn Shepard-Stivers. Their second piece was called "Sway" with accompaniments on piano by Sophia Marcinik, guitar by Brenden Butler and percussion by Michael Castellana. After their performance came the High School's Concert Band with a performance of "Crimebusters", a compilation of the themes from "Dragnet", "Mission: Impossible", "Secret Agent Man", and "Get Smart". The piece went well and the band got an early ovation, before the piece was over. As the concert rounded the home stretch, the high school Mixed Choir led by Mrs. Amthor sang two beautiful songs entitled "Moon River" and "Route 66". "Route 66" had accompaniments with Mrs. Kirsten Rolon on piano, Brenden Butler on guitar and Michael Castellana on drums all of which added to the jazz feel of the piece. The final group to hit the stage and finish off the night was the Wallkill Senior High School Wind Ensemble, led by Mrs. Contzius, playing a piece called "Apollo: Myth and Legend", which the band has worked on for a long time (and you could tell). It was a great way to cap off the night's events!
It was a terrific night and the music department really got a chance to strut their stuff! Congratulations to all! The music department will host their winter concert in December, so if you didn't get a chance to see them at POPS, come show your support then!
On October 18th at 7 pm, the Wallkill Senior High School hosted their annual Pops Concert. This is a concert in which most of the music ensembles from the district come out and show their skills. This is the only concert in which groups from all of the schools in the district come out to play. The first performance was by the Elementary Honors Orchestra led by Ms. Edie Duncan. Their performance was quite funny. Both the honors band and orchestra were all dressed up in their Halloween costumes and during the honors orchestra performance of "Ninja", they followed some phrases with a swift kick (and of course, Ms. Duncan did too). They were then followed by the Elementary Honors Band led by Mrs. Rubenstein. The High School Madrigal Choir hit the stage next in the lineup, led by Mrs. Dawn Amthor. They sang two pieces. The Madrigal Choir opened their performance with a few bars of "Crazy Train" by Brenden Butler and Liam Butler. They had an amusing performance and of course a wonderful sound as they sang their pieces. They were then followed by the JGBMS String Orchestra (both 7th and 8th grade orchestra) led by Mr. Adam Kuliszewski. After them came the Wallkill High School Handbell Ensemble led by Mrs. Dawn Amthor. This was their debut performance, as this is the first year of the ensemble, and it was well-received. They were then followed by the High School's first major instrumental ensemble of the night, the String Orchestra, led by Mrs. Ashley Contzius. They played a really cool piece called "Take Five". The JGBMS Concert Band (both 7th and 8th grade band) followed also led by Mr. K, playing a rendition of "Amazing Grace". The High School Women's Choir, led by Mrs. Amthor sang two songs with vocal and instrumental solos and accompaniments'. The first piece was "When October Goes" with a stunning vocal solo by Joslyn Shepard-Stivers. Their second piece was called "Sway" with accompaniments on piano by Sophia Marcinik, guitar by Brenden Butler and percussion by Michael Castellana. After their performance came the High School's Concert Band with a performance of "Crimebusters", a compilation of the themes from "Dragnet", "Mission: Impossible", "Secret Agent Man", and "Get Smart". The piece went well and the band got an early ovation, before the piece was over. As the concert rounded the home stretch, the high school Mixed Choir led by Mrs. Amthor sang two beautiful songs entitled "Moon River" and "Route 66". "Route 66" had accompaniments with Mrs. Kirsten Rolon on piano, Brenden Butler on guitar and Michael Castellana on drums all of which added to the jazz feel of the piece. The final group to hit the stage and finish off the night was the Wallkill Senior High School Wind Ensemble, led by Mrs. Contzius, playing a piece called "Apollo: Myth and Legend", which the band has worked on for a long time (and you could tell). It was a great way to cap off the night's events!
It was a terrific night and the music department really got a chance to strut their stuff! Congratulations to all! The music department will host their winter concert in December, so if you didn't get a chance to see them at POPS, come show your support then!
