The Linfield Concert Band delivered tunes related to literary classics, modern poems, liturgical texts and even the humble newspaper at its most recent concert.
“The Washington Post March,” written by renowned marching band composer John Philip Sousa, opened the concert.

The Washington Post commissioned the march in 1889 for its essay contest award ceremony. After its performance, Sousa was nicknamed the “March King.” The band’s rendition was sharp, clean and professional.

Joan Paddock, conductor of the band and Professor of Music, was proud of the band’s hard work. This year, the band has transitioned to more difficult pieces.

Their hard work was apparent in their finesse and expression throughout the entire performance.

This year the band also has a student conductor, senior Christian Santangelo. He was a student in Paddock’s beginning conducting class last year.

Paddock encouraged him to continue with the advanced conducting course and to work with the band again.

Santangelo conducted “Of Sailors and Whales” by Francis MacBeth, inspired by Herman Melville’s classic “Moby Dick.” Each of the five movements was based on a specific scene from the novel. The most intriguing was movement three, “Father Mapple,” in which members of the band sang parts of the text.

The hardest part of conducting was the “Preparation,” Santangelo said. “Score studying…was a fairly new concept for me.” Santangelo said he always knew what he wanted to hear, but that “Pinpointing exactly what was wrong in rehearsal was a challenge.”

Santangelo also conducted “Rest,” based on the poem “There Will Be Rest” by Sara Teasdale. The piece was meaningful for him on a personal level, as he first played the piece this past spring as part of the College Band Directors National Association Collegiate Honor Band. While in rehearsals with the honor band, Santangelo received the news that a childhood friend had died.

“Having the opportunity to conduct [‘Rest’] and make it my own meant a lot to me and still does,” Santangelo said. Paddock described the “fragile beauty and quiet dignity” of the source poem, which describes looking to the stars for peace and repose.

The band played this piece beautifully, with grace and sensitivity.

The original composition was a choral arrangement, but composer Frank Ticheli preserved the key and main elements of the piece in the band arrangement.

The Linfield College Concert Choir will perform the choral version of “Rest” at their Dec. 3 concert.

Last in the program was an arrangement of excerpts from the musical “Oliver!” Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” inspired this piece. In the novel, Oliver is an orphan brought up in an abusive orphanage. He runs away to London and finds a family—and a life of crime. This piece was the most amusing of the program, with its spritely runs and delicious “oom pah pah” feeling.

The band’s next concert will be at 7:30 p.m. next April 14 in Ice Auditorium. If the band continues to play at this higher level, their next concert will be well worth a listen.