Five instrumentalists from WPI performed Saturday, April 8th, at the 13th Annual New England Intercollegiate Band Festival, held on the Keene State College campus in Keene, NH. Students Elizabeth Brown ('96), Mark Gibson ('95), Paul Jasper ('97), Deborah Marcroft ('98), and Eric Page ('96) were accepted to the group on the basis of audition tapes submitted in December of last year. Greg Mason ('97) was also accepted, but was unable to attend.
Organized by the New England College Band Association, the Intercollegiate Band is made up of students selected from 22 New England colleges and universities, including Harvard University, Dartmouth College, Tufts University, and Boston Conservatory of Music. Those accepted meet at a host site for a weekend of rehearsal, followed by a performance on the evening of the final day. Despite the rapid preparation, the performances are traditionally of very high quality, so the event gives many of the students the chance to perform at a higher musical level than they otherwise would.
This year's band was directed by nationally renowned composer and conductor W. Francis McBeth, two of whose works, Of Sailors and Whales, and Wine From These Grapes, were included on the concert program. The other selections were Howard Hanson's Romantic Symphony #2, Verdi's La Forza Del Destino, and Semper Fidelis by John Philip Sousa.