One of the big ways to cap off the year is going to be the Holiday Concerts being held December 6th and December 8th at the Amelia Center for the Arts. I knew this was going to be a short lived event, so I took the time to attend the evening performance by the Singing Commodores and the Jazz Ensemble hosted by Carissa Hosea and John Diving respectively.
I’m not usually one to attend concerts – in fact, I may not be one to attend a lot of things. The Fall of 2019 has been eye-opening for me, and I could not be happier to have these experiences to think about as the year comes to a close. This modest concert experience was fun, more than anything.
The Jazz Ensemble
The Jazz Ensemble performed wonderfully, featuring instruments that I could only dream of playing someday. There was Joshua Lake and Rachel Raffield on alto saxophone, Corri Smallwood on tuba, Alison Strunk on piano, Trequan McIntosh on drums, among others who played their parts very well for each piece performed. Everyone had their time to shine, and it was great to be a part of such a lively audience.
The Singing Commodores
The second part of the concert featured the Singing Commodores who performed some wonderful songs to both the tunes of the piano and the Jazz Ensemble. The standout song for me was, One Day More, conducted by Cheyenne Warren as a collaborative song between the Jazz Ensemble and the Singing Commodores. I’m a big fan of musicals, and this was a pleasant surprise in what is supposed to be a holiday concert.
I’m grateful for them taking a bit of liberty to sing an energetic and dramatic song! Other renditions of Deck the Halls, Carol of the Bells, and Let it Snow were other standout songs for me.
However, I do believe that this comes at a high price. The next and final concert for the year will be on December 8th at 2:30pm and will feature a different set of songs, musicians and performers. I would like to encourage everyone to try and see this event before it’s too late. It is free event that welcomes donations which will be going to a couple of local charities.
Thanks so much for sticking by me this semester. Have a Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alejandro Furnells
Student Author - Fall 2019
