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UTM Concert band thunders on in Harriet Fulton Hall despite severe weather warnings


The UTM Concert Band performed under the direction of Brian Amaral, at 8 p.m., Tues., March 22 in the Harriet Fulton Theater of Fine Arts. The theater was filled with guests, despite of the severe weather warnings that had been issued.

The show started with a piece by Robert Sheldon entitled “Visions of Flight.” This piece started out loud, thendecresendoed throughout the performance. This piece had several tempo changes and the band handled it wonderfully.

“Visions of Flight is a very involved piece to play because every section is playing something different and the musicians have to listen to each other. All parts of the band came together near the end of the piece and it ended on a strong not,” said band member Alicia Boeher on flute.

Frank Ticheli wrote the next piece, “Shenandoah.” This selection began with the tubas playing on their own, then the clarinets and the rest of the band joined in. This selection had a very mellow feel to it and it was played softly. There were several individual solos in this piece as well.

Frank Ticheli also wrote the next piece, “Winter Dances.” This piece allowed the band to showcase their talent because of the different melodies and tempo changes. There were also several solos throughout this song. The percussion section stood out near the end of the song. “I enjoyed this song the most because it was cheerful,” said Bradley Hadley, a junior Communications major from Fairview, Tenn.

The final piece was entitled “The Thunderer” and it was written by John Philip Sousa. This piece was very dramatic and powerful. The tempo starts out quickly and then slows down. It seemed to follow the pattern that thunder follows during a storm.

The last selection was strong, ringing out across the theater. Some members of the band felt that their hard work was evident to the audience.

“Though we weren’t perfect, we really came together at the end on ‘The Thunderer’ and ended the concert on a really good note,” said Jeff Fields, on trumpet, a junior International Studies major from Hendersonville, Tenn.

“The performance was good and short enough to keep my attention,” said Tonya Brown, a sophomore Social Work major from Huntingdon, Tenn.

“I enjoyed ‘Winter Dances’ the most because it had all the elements of excitement and lots of different melodies,” said Jessica Franklin on oboe, a sophomore Communications major from Kenton, Tenn.

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GREGORY SIRISING / The Pacer

UTM Concert band gives dynamic performance despite severe weather warnings on March 22 in the Harriet Fulton Theater.