Winds Ensemble: “When the Entire Audience is Holding Their Breath…”
“My favorite moment in the concert was at the end of ‘Give Us This Day’ by David Maslanka when the entire audience is holding their breath, anxious to see what happens next. As a performer, that's my favorite time because I know that I live in the deafening silence that our sounds have created. It’s better than any applause,” said AJ Furness, Winds Ensemble percussionist and a junior at Monmouth College.
Monmouth College Wind Ensemble, led by Dr. Justin Swearinger, performed “A Myriad of Bachs” on Sunday afternoon, showcasing pieces inspired by J.S. Bach. They ended the concert with an arrangement of songs from Ghibli’s Spirited Away.
“It consists of six themes including No-Face, One Summer Day, The Bottomless Pit, Yubaba’s Panic, Always with Me, and Reprise,” said Swearinger. “All these fine melodies from the film transport both audience and performers to the fantastic world of anime.”
They showed clips of the movie that correlated with the music that the band was playing. When they learned the music, “We took each chunk little by little. There were so many different parts of the music that this was a super necessary task. Each individual section was learned separately and then pieced together. Transitions can be very difficult, especially when crossing between tempos, keys, or expressions,” said Furness.
“My favorite part of the concert was watching my friends perform. I constantly hear from them about the different music that they are working on, and it's always wonderful to see it all play out. It's great that my friends have an opportunity to show off their incredible talent,” said Anna Brunner, sophomore at Monmouth College.
“I feel that this ensemble, under the direction of Justin Swearinger, is always able to create an environment of absolute passion. You can tell that the director is passionate about the music, and it makes me passionate about my performance. I know that what we are playing is inspiring, beautiful stuff, and many of our ensemble members tear up in that beautiful environment we’re able to create together,” said Furness.
The energy is evident to both performers and audience members alike. “After the concert, a friend and I both thought that the world seemed more still. You come out of a concert that has beautiful, emotional music, and it makes the real world seem more still and silent. The concert allowed me to just have a greater appreciation for the world around me afterward,” said Brunner.
“My favorite moment in the concert was at the end of ‘Give Us This Day’ by David Maslanka when the entire audience is holding their breath, anxious to see what happens next. As a performer, that's my favorite time because I know that I live in the deafening silence that our sounds have created. It’s better than any applause,” said AJ Furness, Winds Ensemble percussionist and a junior at Monmouth College.
Monmouth College Wind Ensemble, led by Dr. Justin Swearinger, performed “A Myriad of Bachs” on Sunday afternoon, showcasing pieces inspired by J.S. Bach. They ended the concert with an arrangement of songs from Ghibli’s Spirited Away.
“It consists of six themes including No-Face, One Summer Day, The Bottomless Pit, Yubaba’s Panic, Always with Me, and Reprise,” said Swearinger. “All these fine melodies from the film transport both audience and performers to the fantastic world of anime.”
They showed clips of the movie that correlated with the music that the band was playing. When they learned the music, “We took each chunk little by little. There were so many different parts of the music that this was a super necessary task. Each individual section was learned separately and then pieced together. Transitions can be very difficult, especially when crossing between tempos, keys, or expressions,” said Furness.
“My favorite part of the concert was watching my friends perform. I constantly hear from them about the different music that they are working on, and it's always wonderful to see it all play out. It's great that my friends have an opportunity to show off their incredible talent,” said Anna Brunner, sophomore at Monmouth College.
“I feel that this ensemble, under the direction of Justin Swearinger, is always able to create an environment of absolute passion. You can tell that the director is passionate about the music, and it makes me passionate about my performance. I know that what we are playing is inspiring, beautiful stuff, and many of our ensemble members tear up in that beautiful environment we’re able to create together,” said Furness.
The energy is evident to both performers and audience members alike. “After the concert, a friend and I both thought that the world seemed more still. You come out of a concert that has beautiful, emotional music, and it makes the real world seem more still and silent. The concert allowed me to just have a greater appreciation for the world around me afterward,” said Brunner.
“My favorite moment in the concert was at the end of ‘Give Us This Day’ by David Maslanka when the entire audience is holding their breath, anxious to see what happens next. As a performer, that's my favorite time because I know that I live in the deafening silence that our sounds have created. It’s better than any applause,” said AJ Furness, Winds Ensemble percussionist and a junior at Monmouth College.
Monmouth College Wind Ensemble, led by Dr. Justin Swearinger, performed “A Myriad of Bachs” on Sunday afternoon, showcasing pieces inspired by J.S. Bach. They ended the concert with an arrangement of songs from Ghibli’s Spirited Away.
“It consists of six themes including No-Face, One Summer Day, The Bottomless Pit, Yubaba’s Panic, Always with Me, and Reprise,” said Swearinger. “All these fine melodies from the film transport both audience and performers to the fantastic world of anime.”
They showed clips of the movie that correlated with the music that the band was playing. When they learned the music, “We took each chunk little by little. There were so many different parts of the music that this was a super necessary task. Each individual section was learned separately and then pieced together. Transitions can be very difficult, especially when crossing between tempos, keys, or expressions,” said Furness.
“My favorite part of the concert was watching my friends perform. I constantly hear from them about the different music that they are working on, and it's always wonderful to see it all play out. It's great that my friends have an opportunity to show off their incredible talent,” said Anna Brunner, sophomore at Monmouth College.
“I feel that this ensemble, under the direction of Justin Swearinger, is always able to create an environment of absolute passion. You can tell that the director is passionate about the music, and it makes me passionate about my performance. I know that what we are playing is inspiring, beautiful stuff, and many of our ensemble members tear up in that beautiful environment we’re able to create together,” said Furness.
The energy is evident to both performers and audience members alike. “After the concert, a friend and I both thought that the world seemed more still. You come out of a concert that has beautiful, emotional music, and it makes the real world seem more still and silent. The concert allowed me to just have a greater appreciation for the world around me afterward,” said Brunner.
Anita Gándara - Contributing Writer
