On December 19th, 2023, the Davie High School auditorium saw its last performance of the calendar year. The Davie Band’s winter performance, titled “Christmas Through the Looking Glass,” consisted of many well-known tunes and a variety of medlies focused on the music of the winter holidays. The concert was filled with festive feeling and successfully brought a wintery, wonderful set of pieces to the audience.
The Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble have worked since the fall concert under the instruction of the band director, Mr. Matthew Brusseau, to perform a spectacular concert. Brusseau said of his band’s progress to the parents in the audience, “I am sure you will hear the improvement that your children have made since the fall concert. I am very proud of these students for their hard work and for all the progress they have made.” With his encouragement and direction, the band students were able to perform a fantastic concert for their peers, parents, and families.
To start off the night, the Symphonic Band took the stage and played phenomenally well. Within their set of pieces, they had a bit of a surprise for the audience. Superintendent Jeff Wallace, at the request of Mr. Brusseau, was the narrator for “A Christmas Carol,” the second of their pieces. “A Christmas Carol” is a collection of Christmas music that is set to narration based on the well-known Charles Dickens novel. The Symphonic Band finished off their round of pieces with “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and exited the stage to hearty applause from the audience.
The Concert Band was the next group to go onstage to display their hard work. The work ethic of this group of freshmen, as well as Brusseau’s dedication to their instruction, paid off well. The talent and passion were obvious to those sitting in the crowd, even catching the attention of Davie Band alumni who returned during their winter break to hear the current students. James Rhile, a 2023 graduate who played trumpet, specifically recognized this group, saying, “The Concert Band was impressive and sounded a lot better than we did when I was a freshman.” The admiration for these young players, who have put so much time and practice into their music, was felt across the audience. They finished their final performance of the evening with a moving collection of songs from The Polar Express, earning them a full round of applause from the audience.
Before the final set of pieces, Mr. Brusseau addressed the audience with some updates regarding the band and gave out his usual thanks to the supporters of the band program. There was another surprise in store for one of the biggest supporters of the band—the students, the program, the director, and everything else in it—that had been planned out a couple of days prior to the concert. In light of the Christmas spirit, the band students and Brusseau raised a generous amount of money to purchase a Christmas present of gift cards and a toolbox for Mr. Edwin Owens, who has been helping the band since his participation in it during his high school years. Everyone in the band program is incredibly grateful for his involvement and was very happy to contribute a Christmas gift for Edwin to thank him for all he does.
The Wind Ensemble was the last group of students to perform and, as usual, had been presented with very challenging pieces that they brought their all to. With some longer pieces based on foreign Christmas compositions in “Russian Christmas Music” and some twists on familiar songs by putting them into a minor key in “Minor Alterations,” the final group of the night put on their best show. Another highlight of their performance was a collection of songs performed by each section of the band, “Christmas in the Round.” This piece was another eye-catcher for the audience. Davie band alumni Lillie Rollins, who graduated in 2022 and played the euphonium, remarked, “I especially loved “Christmas in the Round” because I enjoyed how it highlighted all of the specific instruments!” In addition to the Wind Ensemble’s scheduled pieces, they had the final surprise of the night to send off the audience into the winter break. With four days of rehearsal, the students cheerfully produced a fun-filled performance of music from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
The winter performance was very well done, and the students are excited to continue their musical journeys. In January, students will audition for All-District, where they will compete for a spot in a band that takes the best of the district. They will also begin working on their Music Performance Assessment (MPA) pieces after the break, which they will perform in front of judges in March 2024. They are looking forward to a fantastic second semester and cannot wait to play their best at upcoming concerts.
