Blazers perform at Baltimore Convention Center

Thirteen Blazers performed in the Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) All State Senior Band, Choruses, and Orchestra concerts Feb 24 in the Baltimore Convention Center.

The three day event was held at the Baltimore Convention Center, culminating in a final performance on the last day. Students are chosen from the school programs around the state to participate in this event.

Seniors Deborah Moody and Matthew Carson and juniors Kristin Hoven and Kurt Shewe were members of the All State Senior Band. Moody and Carson both played the clarinet while Hoven played french horn and Shewe played trumpet.

Sophomore Valerie Shen was a first soprano in the All State Senior Women's Chorus. Seniors Jennifer Kramer and Steven Chemtob and junior Griffith Rees were members of the All State Senior Mixed Chorus. Kramer was a soprano, Chemtob was a bass, and Rees was a tenor.

Seniors William Hwang and Daniel Tsui and juniors Benjamin Gaddy, Elizabeth Kim, and Jeanne Yang performed in the All State Senior Orchestra. Kim claimed the concert mistress chair of the orchestra. Hwang and Yang were second violins, and Gaddy and Tsui were cellists.

The All State programs are sponsored by the MMEA in order to further the musical experiences and programs at schools. The senior groups are made for students in grades 10-12 from around the state. After several days of intensive practice sessions, the event concluded with a performance showcasing the four senior All State groups.

The performances began with the All State Senior Band at 1:30. The band was conducted by Gerald King, a guest conductor from the University of Victoria of British Columbia, Canada. They performed seven pieces, beginning with David Stanhope's "Olympic Fireworks." They also played "They Hung Their Harps in the Willows" by W. Francis McBeth, the first movement of "GANDALF- Lord of the Rings," by Johan de Meij, "Lyric Essay," by Donald Coakley, "A Slavonic Farewell" by Vasilij Agapkin, and "El Camino Real" by Alfred Reed. They ended their section of the performance with "America, the Beautiful," by Samuel Ward.

The next group to perform was the All State Senior Women's Chorus, conducted by guest conductor Janet Galván from Ithaca College of Ithaca, New York and accompanied by Joan Vanasdalan. The group began their portion of the concert at 2:30 with "The Echoing Green" by William Mathias. The next two songs were "Nigra Sum" by Pablo Casals and "Aure Volanti" by Francesca Caccini. They also sang "Will He Remember" from the Three Mountain Ballads, which was arranged by Ron Nelson. After singing "Cantate" by Ruth Watson Henderson, "A Psalm of Praise," by Eleanor Daley, was dedicated to the memory of Eunice Leopold. The last two songs were "Las Amarillas," a traditional Mexican song, and "This Is the Day" by Gerald T. Smith.

The All State Senior Mixed Chorus was conducted by guest R. Paul Crabb from Truman State University of Kirksville, Missouri, and accompanied by Johnathan Dunn. The Mixed Chorus began at 3:30 with "Personant Hodie" by Lara Hoggart. They continued with "Hosanna to the Son of David" by Thomas Weelkes, "Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen" by Felix Mendelssohn, and "Hasar mie la gaji" by Alberto Grau." The next song, "Sing We! Chant It!" by David Clark Isele, was dedicated to the memory of Richard Dick Porter. They finished with "Hasydic Song" by Aleksandar S. Vujic, the traditional folk song "Cindy" and the spiritual "My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord."

The last group to perform that day was the All State Senior Orchestra, which was conducted by guest conductor Anthony Elliott from the University of Michigan of Ann Arbor, Michigan. They only had three pieces and began at 4:30. The first piece played was the "Kolas Breugnon Overture", by Dimitri Kabalevsky. This was followed by a piece from Two Pieces from Henry V by William Walton, "Touch Her Soft Lips and Part." The orchestra finished the performance with the full "Symphony #2 'Romantic'" by Howard Hanson.