Those who did manage to find their way into Alden Hall that night were in for a rare treat. All of the WPI music groups were there to display their musical talents and provide entertainment for those who came.
The Brass Ensemble started things off, filling Alden with the sounds of majestic horns and military percussion. They were followed by the Medwin String Ensemble which changed the mood to a relaxing one ending with the allegro from "Brandenburg Concerto No. 3" by Bach. This piece was reminisent of the Brandenburg Concert they gave last spring. Both of these two groups were conducted by Douglas Weeks.
The next two performances were given by the Stage Band and the Jazz Ensemble, both directed by Richard Falco (Director of Jazz Studies). Both groups performed a variety of jazz songs highlighted by swinging sax solos and a strong percussion background. One piece that stood out was "Afro Dance" by Thom Mason in which African percussion, a recent addition to the music program, was highlighted.
The Concert Band ended the instrumental part of the concert with two great pieces. The second one, "Incantation and Dance" by John Barnes Chance, was interesting to say the least. The percussion provided a weird twist to the composition. Both pieces by the group were well performed.
After a short break, during which some band members took a seat in the audience, the singing groups came on. Alden Voices, the women's choral group, performed a wide variety of songs including an encore of their annual spring concert, Cabaret, and "Do Lord" in which solo's were performed by Linda Cappuccia ('98), Melissa Diguette ('97), and Heidi Callahan ('98). They ended their performance with the traditional "Blessing" by Katie Moran Bart. Margaret M. Konkol directed while Olga Rogach provided piano accompaniment.
Alden Voices was followed by a brief moment of silence before the Men's Glee Club stormed into place and started singing a W.P.I. fight song. This brought on a good laugh from the audience. The group followed this with some traditional songs. In the midst of their performance, Simple Harmonic Motion, which is an offspring of the club, entertained the crowd with a few upbeat acapella songs. They were definetely a crowd favorite and even got the audience to participate in the fun. The Glee Club ended the night with another song which welcomed WPI freshmen. They were directed by Louis Curran.
Overall, Concerto Uno was a great success. The audience was invited to Gompei's afterwards for refreshments and a chance to meet the performers. If you missed the chance to hear your fellow classmates display their musical talents, all is not lost. The annual Pops Concert is coming up on November 4th, and the Holiday Concert will be on November 30th. Come, satisfy your curiosity, take a break from tedious homework, and support WPI's Music Association. Don't let fine arts at WPI fade away.
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