On Tues, Dec 10. The Mill Creek Band performed their annual winter concert here at Mill Creek High School. Every year, the band classes spend around two months learning, practicing and perfecting the music they play at the show for their friends and family. In the midst of preparing for final exams, the concert is a wonderful reminder of the upcoming holiday season.
The show began with the Concert Band, conducted by Associate Director Nolan Clark, who performed two songs, “First Holiday Fanfare” and “A Swashbuckling Christmas”. The first song was a classic Christmas tune, while the second song was a unique combination of sea shanties and traditional Christmas melodies.
After a brief intermission, Director of Bands Tina Christiansen and the Symphonic Band took the stage. Starting off, they played two well-known holiday songs, “Instant Christmas Spirit” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” Then, to wrap up their performance, they performed a jazzy tune called “Christmas Swings”.
Following another intermission, the Symphonic Winds conducted by Clark began their portion of the performance. They played three songs, titled, “You Are Cordially Invited”, “An American Christmas” and “Adventum.”
To close the concert, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble led by Christiansen made the stage. They performed “PataPan”, “Give Us This Day” and “Three Wise Guys.” Taylor Figures, 12, says that her personal favorite of the three is “Give Us This Day” because of how technically challenging and emotional it is.
Nearing the end of the performance, Christiansen gave a speech praising her students and defining how important they have been to her success as the Director of Bands at MCHS. Her love for music and her students is truly evident to anyone who attends their performances. “Ms. Christiansen is absolutely amazing as both a conductor and a person.” says Figures, “She creates a space where it’s okay to mess up and not be perfect, but she pushes us to do our best and do all the little things that take our music to the next level.”
Thanks to the hard work of the directors and musicians alike, this year’s winter concert was a great performance. Although this was the last concert of the semester, there will be more after winter break. So, if you want to hear some excellent music and outstanding instrumentalists, or if you’ve just got nothing else to do, make sure to attend one of the concerts next semester!
