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by Briyahna Rice
With the Fall 2019 semester at Five Towns College winding down and students preparing for finals, the Music department hosted an event that was music to everyone’s ears. On Tuesday, December 10th, the school’s choir, chamber orchestra, master string quartet, chamber singers, and wind ensemble came together to perform A Night of Classical Music in the Performing Arts Theater.
Prior to the show, attendees got to take pictures in the makeshift photo booth and snack on cookies and hot chocolate. Directed by Kenneth Fries, and accompanied by Anthony Vetere, the choir of 30 students performed five songs: Gloria in Excelsis Deo, Missa Solemnis in Bb, This Little Light of Mine, Hymn of Wisdom, A Welsh Lullaby, and Cantate!
Next, the chamber orchestra, directed by Matthew Pierce, performed four songs from the St. Paul’s Suite by Gustav Holst, including Jig, Ostinato, Intermezzo, and Finale (The Dargason). The Chamber Orchestra itself is comprised of four students on Violin I, four students on Violin II, five students on Cello, three students on Viola, and one student on Double Bass. Members of the Master String Quartet then performed String Quartet in F Major by Maurice Ravel and Be Still Sad Shadow by Matthew Pierce. After a ten-minute intermission, the chamber singers, directed by Dr. Marc Silverberg, performed four songs; O Bella Fusa by Orlando di Lasso, Jenny Rebecca by Carol Hall, arranged by Clair T. McElfresh, Hymn of Acxiom by Vienna Teng, arranged by Harrison Acosta, and finally Nelly Bly by Stephen Foster, arranged by Jack Halloran.
Dr. Silverberg said that “these FTC music concerts are a great way to end the semester, not only for our ensembles who have been practicing all semester but also for our students to enjoy what is quickly becoming one of the most high-quality concerts in this school. The Night of Classical Music features over 100 students from every school major, and we encourage everyone to come and support their friends and family.”
And a high-quality concert it was, with passion, concentration, and hard work that each student put into their performances and Dr. Silverberg to give them the guidance to succeed and put on a great show. “I’m in charge of organizing the night, and I’ll tell you, it’s no small feat….the set-up of four different ensembles. I’ve been doing this long enough to establish a routine, and now, the organization of the show is second nature,” he said.
Once again, Five Towns College’s amazing staff and student body worked together to put on a holiday concert worthy of praise and recognition to close out the semester on a positive note.
