The Linfield College Concert Band created a storm to open its fall concert.

The Department of Music hosted the fall concert, “Songs of Sea, Air, Storms, Love & Friendship” on Nov. 8 in Ice Auditorium.

The opening song was Jim Casella’s “Stormbreak,” which required a large variety of exotic and untraditional percussion instruments, such as maraca shakers, ocean drums, rain sticks and wood blocks.

The piece was an energetic imitation of a storm presented in an outburst of powerful sounds.

Almost all of the performers played more than one instrument for “Stormbreak,” switching between instruments.

Their effort was reciprocated by the passionate applause of the audience.

After resetting the stage, the band performed Ron Goodwin’s “Tall Ships,” followed by Samuel Hazo’s “In Heaven’s Air.”

The latter was dedicated to the composer’s friend whose mother had passed away. Hazo presented his piece with Shakespeare’s Sonnet 21, which Paddock read as the introduction of the piece.

The last song before the intermission was “Suite on Greek Love Songs,” by Dutch composer Henk van Lijnschooten.

Paddock shared an interesting incident during the band’s rehearsal of this song.

According to Paddock, a trombone player in the band had the European publication of the sheet music, which resulted in unfavorable effects during the final rehearsal. Luckily, they discovered the problem and were able to perform the “non-dissonant version” of the piece.

After a short break, senior oboe soloist Amanda Summers performed Émile Paladilhe’s “Concertante” with the band.

Summers is in the Linfield Chamber Orchestra and Concert Band, and is the director of the Linfield Pep Band and Drumline.

More unusual instruments, such as the dumbek, a Middle Eastern and North African drum, were introduced and the band performed the exotic “Arabic Dances” by Henry Fillmore.

The lively piece required the musicians to shout from time to time and hit the drums so hard that one of the drummers’ hands were trembling when it ended.

The last piece was Henry Fillmore’s “Golden Friendships,” a circus-style farewell to the composer’s friends before he moved away.

Freshman Caitlin Evans said she liked the diversity and tone of the performance and that it spanned “every bit of the world.”

The Linfield Concert Band has rehearsed once a week since the start of the semester.

Freshman tenor saxophone player Daniel Bradley described the rehearsals as “lighthearted but intense.”

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Cassie Wong/Staff writer
Cassie Wong can be reached at [email protected].