On May 3, 2021, the AHS band put on their last concert of the year. This concert showcased the jazz band and concert band, as well as recognized the AHS band letter winners. 

The concert kicked off with the jazz band. The opening song of the night was “New York, New York” arranged by Roy Philippe. This classic Frank Sinatra tune featured Matthew Moomey on trumpet, Camden Garcia on alto saxophone and Ashlynn Chipperfield on tenor saxophone. “Embraceable You,” composed by George Gershwin and arranged by Roy Philippe, was the second song played. It featured Moomey and Josh Childers on trumpet, Garcia on alto saxophone and Chipperfield on tenor saxophone. The third song was entitled “Tiger of San Pedro” and was composed by John La Barbera and arranged by Paul Lavender. This song featured Moomey on trumpet, Brexton Kimmel and Carter Haskell on trombone and Aiden Zaro on the trap set. The final song of the night, “Zoot Suit Riot,” was composed by Steve Perry and arranged by Paul Murtha. This song featured Zaro on trap set, Chipperfield on alto saxophone, Moomey on trumpet, Kimmel on trombone and Gavyn Bossell on trombone.

After the jazz band, there was a quick intermission to set the stage for the concert band. The concert band played three songs. The first song was “Riders for the Flag” which is composed by John Philip Sousa. This march style piece was written to mimic horses in a calvary, and was a fun, energetic opener to the concert band section of the concert. 

The second song played was “Rain” composed by Brain Balmages. Quite the opposite of the first song, “Rain” was a quiet piece.  Jwpepper.com describes the song as an “expressive piece that brings a sense of calm, as well as a touch of sadness, through the melodic and harmonic lines.” 

Between “Rain” and the concert closer, Mr. Jeremy Eskam took a moment to honor the AHS band letter winners. There were 19 letter winners in total. First year recipients were Matthew Moomey, Landyn Branstiter, Abigael Sanders and Ethan Goscha. Second year recipients were Gabriel Sanders, Ashlynn Chipperfield, Austin Goss, Yaasmyn Rodriguez, Brooklyn Branstiter and Michael Zuniga. Third year recipients were Elizabeth Chase, Lizbeth Carrillo, Kayla Campos, Camden Garcia and Aiden Zaro. Finally, the four year letter winners were announced. These students have earned a letter every year of band, and in some cases, could have earned more than four letters. These students are Courtney Cox, Jackson Moomey, Bryson Darveau and Bryson Chipperfield.

The concert closed with the ten-minute long song, “The Witch and the Saint” composed by Steven Reineke. According to erik-janssen.com, this piece “tells the story of the lives of twin sisters, Helena and Sibylla, born in Germany in 1588. The sisters were separated at birth, one going through life as a witch and the other as a saint.” With five different distinct sections of music, the story of tragedy and triumph is told. In the end, the saint gives up her life for her sister, the witch sister. This piece features a french horn and flute solo. 

With the end of the final concert, the band will jump back into pep band style music to prepare for the upcoming marching band season, but not before getting ready to play good-ole “Pomp and Circumstance” at the 2021 graduation next Sunday!