On Sunday, Oct. 19, the MTHS music department held its annual theme concert, and this year the theme was “Dreams.” The pieces played in the concert all connected to the concept of dreams. The groups that performed were the chamber strings ensemble, string and symphony orchestra, symphonic band and chorus. Not only were the performances of the musicians showcased, but there were many featured pieces of art in the auditorium lobby created by artists at MTHS.
The program opened with the chamber strings ensemble, a self-conducted group of student musicians, performing a piece called “Miraj.” Then, the orchestra, directed by Mrs. Caravella, played “Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by Carrie Lane Gruselle; “Interstellar Dreams” by Chris Pilsner; “Daydream of Glory” by Paul Cravens with accompanist Jackson Cogle on piano; and finally, “Phantom Run” by Raphael Menon.
Next, the symphonic band, directed by Mr. Siegel, performed “Kitty Hawk, 1903 (The Dream of Flight) by William Owens, a story of the first recorded airplane flight; “Morpheus” by Randall D. Standridge—Morpheus is the Greek god of sleep and dreams—“Lucid Dreams” by Adrian Sims, and “African Dreams” by Brant Kittrick.
Finally, the program was closed with the chorus, directed by Mrs. Haldeman. Their first song was “The Dream Keeper” by Rollo A. Dilworth, based on a poem by Langston Hughes, and the accompanist for this piece was Ben Schnabel on the piano. Next, they performed “Sleep” by Eric Whitacre. Their third song was an impressionistic chanson by Claude Debussy called, “Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin.” Next, they sang “Fever Dreams” by Erich Eastman, a modern piece which featured soloists Ben Schnabel and Bethany Innocent, as well as Mr. Schlosser and Kyto Anderson accompanying on the guitar. The fifth and final piece they performed was a song in Latin called “Nox”, by Elaie Hagenberg, accompanied by Ariel Hu on piano and Evan Branstetter on percussion.
All of these ensembles and directors have worked tirelessly to bring the theme of “Dreams” to life, and now they shift their focus to the winter concerts! The band and orchestra concert is on Dec. 11 at 7:00 p.m., the chamber music concert is on Dec. 14 at 2:30 p.m. and the chorus concert is on Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m. All of these performances will be held in the high school auditorium.
