By Sarah Daniels, Content Manager
On Friday, Sept. 27, the Sunderman Conservatory Wind Symphony Band and the Gettysburg College Jazz Ensemble presented their first performance of the semester at the Majestic Theater at 8 p.m. Dr. Russell McCutcheon conducted the Wind Symphony Band while Dr. Amanda Heim directed the Jazz Ensemble.
Opening the Symphony Band’s program was “Dancing Fire” written by Kevin Day. Dr. McCutcheon then introduced himself to the audience and shared that the house lights were kept on so the program could be read. He emphasized the interesting backstories behind the songs and encouraged the audience to read the Program Notes entirely.
“Melodious Thunk” by David Biedenbender followed, a song with plenty of thunks and percussion. The next piece, “Forward/Still” composed by Omar Thomas, was an elegant piece with smooth harmonies.
The Symphony Band’s final piece “Havana Nights” was written by Randall Standridge. Originally composed for a ballet, the piece was bright and filled with mambo motifs.
A quick intermission followed as the crew transformed the stage for the Jazz Ensemble.
The Jazz Ensemble opened with a song by Wynton Marsalis titled “Jump.” The rhythms in the piece were quick and featured several soloists, including Justin Morgan ’27 on alto saxophone, Nash Ott ’27 on tenor saxophone and Nadaw Weisberg ’28 on guitar.
After a quick shout-out to the soloists, Dr. Heim readied the Ensemble to play “Oclupaca” from Duke Ellington’s “Latin American Suite.” This vibrant piece featured Thomas Manning ’25 on tenor saxophone and Lucas Ramirez ’28 on piano.
Performed next was “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love,” which was composed by Charles Mingus as a eulogy for Ellington. Dr. Heim announced to the audience that she believed this song to have “one of the best melodies in jazz.” The soloists, Nadaw Weisberg ’28 on the guitar, Ben Casinelli ’26 on the trumpet, Morgan on the alto saxophone and Manning on the tenor saxophone, were fantastic.
“Brother Mister” composed by Christian McBride featured Isaac Master ’25 on bass, Lucas Ramirez ’28 on piano, Morgan on alto saxophone, Sal Formisano ’26 on trumpet, Manning on tenor saxophone and Mike Motta ’25 on the drums. The piece was quick-paced and fun.
The Ensemble’s final piece, “Switch in Time,” was composed by Sammy Nestico. Jeff Dieteman ’28 on trombone and Ramirez on piano had solos before the whole band joined the melody and closed the piece.
Audience member Marcy Zimmer ’27 remarked, “I really loved the whole vibe of it. It was so upbeat, fun and jazzy.”
Riley Dunbar ’27, a conservatory student, also enjoyed the performance. They said, “The song selection and the combination of the wind symphony and the jazz ensemble is really satisfying, topical, and well put-together. I love the spotlights on the students and the recognition they earn.”
Trombonist Melanie Flynn ’27 commented on the performance from the Symphony Band’s perspective: “It feels very gratifying to put so much hard work into a performance, and it’s great to see all my friends do well and sound amazing!”
