By ISABEL MORA
Contributing Writer
As the holiday season has arrived, so has the time for performances by talented College of Saint Rose musicians. On December 3rd, The Saint Rose Campus Band performed its annual Fall Concert, held at the Kathleen McManus Picotte Recital Hall.
The audience was filled with family, friends, and members of the community who came to watch the band perform. The audience was almost full as it waited for the concert to begin. Band director, Dr. Charles D. Reader enthusiastically led the band through the performance.
The band performed five pieces, both old and new. First they performed Prelude, Rondo, and Sicilliano, and then O Magnum Mysterium, followed by Strange Humors, after that Sleigh Ride. The evening was concluded with Symphonic Dnace No.3 “Fiesta”. All of which Reader said were performed “above and beyond expectations.”
The oldest of the pieces was Sleigh Ride originally composed by Leroy Anderson. Some audience members were even dancing in their seats as the students performed the piece. Ann Marie Chiappinelli said “everybody loves Sleigh Bells” and that it was a pleasure to watch and enjoy the students perform.
When the band performed O Magnum Mysterium, the audience was at the edge of their seats listening with great interest. This piece is the world’s most often performed and the Saint Rose Campus Band did very well performing it.
The band consists of 58 Saint Rose students. They have been meeting for two hours once a week all semester practicing and preparing the pieces. When addressing the audience Reader said the group was filled with “motivated young musicians” and that he was impressed by their ability and drive even after a long day of classes.
The concert concluded at about 8:45pm with a long and gracious applause from the audience.
