Most students use spring break as a time to rest and recharge, but that was not the case for the MIHS orchestras. In fact, they were preparing to embark on their most important event of the year – the three orchestras had the opportunity to perform at the highly revered Carnegie Hall in New York City for the National Band and Orchestra Festival, along with other bands and orchestras in the nation on April 19. Each ensemble received commentary from adjudicators from the New England Conservatory, the University of Minnesota and the University of Alabama.
“I thought it was amazing. [The orchestras] did so well,” MIHS orchestra director Bryan Kolk said. “We were able to have an opportunity to warm up on stage before our performance, and I think we all felt that that allowed us to sort of break the ice and really be ourselves when the performance actually began, because it wasn’t so shocking [as we thought it would], and being on that stage just makes you feel so much better about the sounds you can produce.”
To enter the festival, the directors made recordings of the ensembles during the last school year, which were then evaluated by adjudicators. The MIHS orchestras secured a letter of acceptance and were able to participate in the festival.
Upon hearing the news, Kolk couldn’t have been more excited.
“I knew that I wanted to do something big this year, and I knew that we were a talented bunch of people,” Kolk said. “I thought we would have a good chance of getting accepted. So when I applied, it was with my fingers crossed, but relying on what I already knew to be the great talents of our students.”
The orchestras played a diverse variety of pieces, ranging from classical compositions by Bach and Brahms to more modern pieces like “Three Sketches of Unblemished Earth,” “The African Suite” and “La Bella Cubana.”
“Our last three pieces were all dance numbers, but one was from Cuba, another from Eastern Europe, and a third from Nigeria,” Kolk said. “The first piece of the program was more soft and lyrical and was a very modern composition. It was only written a couple of years ago, and then we followed that with the Brandenburg Concerto, which was written hundreds of years ago and is a classic of the Baroque style of performing.”
Overall, Kolk is simply thrilled to be a part of a community capable of supporting big opportunities like this and being able to teach for MIHS.
“We wanted not only to show that we were ready to go, but that we could support anyone going if they wanted to go,” Kolk said. “Our community offered a lot of support for us in that regard. I’m so proud to count myself among the educators and the students on this island.”
