Photo/Fair Haven School District
Audiences were in tune with student musicians at this year’s Knollwood School Spring Concert.
The May 22 and 23 concerts, presented by the Fair Haven School District and the Knollwood School Music Department, featured the direction of band, orchestra and vocal directors Sara E. Marino, Mel Chayette and Karen Hauge.
The May 22 concert featured: the Beginning Band playing Skip to My Lou, Old MacDonald Had a Band, and Hard Rock Blues; the Beginning Orchestra playing Eighth Note Extravaganza, Mozart Melodies; Small Ensembles playing German Dance, Pavane; the Fifth Grade Band playing Dragon Slayer, Prehistoric Suite; the Chamber Orchestra playing Molly On the Shore; Wind Ensemble playing Back to the Future, Song Without Words, Espanola; the Orchestra playing Through the Eye of the Storm, Shut Up and Dance, Thunderstruck, Tear in My Heart; and the Symphonic Band playing Kachina: Chant and Spirit Dance, The Water is Wide, Selections from West Side Story.
The May 23 concert featured: the Glee Club singing Canoe Song, Ahe Lau Makani, Sleep My Child, Cherry Blossom, The Water is Wide, Let Freedom Ring/America the Beautiful; Jazz Combos playing Soul Man, Enter Sandman, Robbin’s Nest, Blues in the Closet, Night Train, Put It Where You Want It; and the Jazz Big Band playing Africa, On Green Dolphin Street, Treasure.
This past March, student musicians from Knollwood School were featured at the two-day Monmouth County Teen Arts Festival held at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. Members of an Eighth Grade Jazz Combo and the Jazz Big Band performed at the venue and were among the few grammar school students performing along with high school musicians.
“It was great to be there at the festival and see our students perform for an audience of high school jazz groups from around the county and to get immediate, in-person feedback from our judges,” said Sara Marino. “The judges particularly recognized our strong rhythm section and our choice of repertoire, and their written feedback remarked that our entire jazz band ‘competes with high school bands.’ That made me really proud!”
Students featured in the Jazz Combo at the Teen Arts Festival were: eighth graders Vic Mitterando (alto sax), Johanna Krueger (alto sax), Alex Pane (tenor sax), Sarah Necezny (trumpet), Isabelle Papa (flute), Abby Iredell (violin, piano), Avery Fratty (bass guitar), Connor Medrow (vibraphone, drum set), and Alex Fratty (vibraphone, drum set).
Featured in the Jazz Big Band at the Teen Arts Festival were: eighth graders Lauren DeSantis (clarinet), Sunny Skarecki (clarinet), Vic Mitterando (alto sax), Johanna Krueger (alto sax), Alex Pane (tenor sax), Sarah Neczesny (trumpet), Isabelle Papa (piano), Connor Medrow (drum set), and Matt Reulbach (vibraphone); seventh graders Matt Cruz (alto sax), Sophie Barabas (trumpet), Sal Formosan (trumpet), Kyle Gavlick (trombone), and Ryan McKay (trombone); and sixth grader Evan Callas (bass guitar).
Songs performed by the Knollwood students were: Gingerbread Boy by Jimmy Heath; Sidewinder, by Lee Morgan, with arrangements by Mark Taylor; and Brazil, by Ary Barroso, with arrangements by Rick Stitzel.
Three of the performing Knollwood School student musicians — Johanna Krueger, Connor Medrow, and Alex Pane — had their artwork featured in the Teen Arts Festival as did their fellow Knollwood art students Kristen Kuras, Catherine White, and Timmy Lake.
— Edited press release from the Fair Haven School District
You must be logged in to post a comment.