Spring Music Concert Features Students’ Musical and Vocal Talents
May 1, 2012 – Before a sizeable audience of family members and friends, DBP students demonstrated their musical abilities and talents on the evening of May 1 in the school’s annual Spring Music Concert.
Under the direction of Mr. Gary Cecere, the string orchestra performed a moving and wide ranging repertoire from the classical “Ancient Aires and Dances” by Respghi and Vivaldi’s second movement from Concerto in D Major to “Final Countdown” by Joey Tempest. Members of the Immaculate Heart Academy Orchestra assisted by performing in several positions.
Next, the Piper Band marched five- person-strong into the DeSales Hall Auditorium playing “The Bluebells of Scotland” on bagpipes and drum, followed by “Scotts Wha Hae”, “The Rowan Tree”, “Auld Lang Syne” and the “Marine Corps Hymm”. It was announced that two members of the band had just begun to play the pipes in September, and played them quite well. The piper band is directed by Mrs. Susan Fecht.
The ten-member chorus entered the stage and belted out numbers as if double its size. Under the direction of Mrs. Toni Bilotti Cecere, the chorus sang the spiritual “Over My Head”, Billy Joel’s “For the Longest Time”, and the valiant “Go the Distance” by Alan Menken and David Zipple from the score of the Disney movie, “Hercules”. Interspersed throughout the program were beautiful choral solos by graduating seniors John Trieste, Patrick Sweeney, and John Geraghty. The Immaculate Heart Academy Chorus, under the direction of Mr. James Stayton, also performed Disney numbers including "Part of Your World" and "I See the Light" by Menken.
Finally, the concert band took the stage, opened with the Alfred Hitchcock Theme, “Funeral March of a Marionette” by Gounod with guest artist, Mr. Joseph Martorano, P ’11, ’13, playing the saxophone. Modern numbers such as Disney Blockbusters and “Twist and Shout”, were followed by Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”. The transition from modern to classical music showed the breadth and expanse of the band and the talents of the brass, string, woodwind and percussion sections. Members of the Immaculate Heart Academy Orchestra assisted by performing in several positions.
This concert was masterful and showed the audience all that the students had learned in their years of music study at Don Bosco Prep.