By Michael Ahn ’22
On May 1st, 2019, Bellarmine held its annual spring concert featuring the Bellarmine Chamber Orchestra, the Bellarmine/Notre Dame Symphonic Band, and the Bellarmine/Notre Dame Wind Ensemble. Held in the Sobrato Mainstage theater, the concert ran from 7:30 PM to 9:15 PM.
Led by Mrs. Wyant, the music director at Bellarmine, the concert began with the Bellarmine Chamber Orchestra (BCO) playing four pieces, “The Ides of March,” “Oblivion,” “The Haunted Carousel,” and the theme song from Downton Abbey. While playing the third piece, “Oblivion,” BCO featured Ray Wyant as the clarinet soloist.
After the BCO’s performance, the Bellarmine/Notre Dame Symphonic Band performed “Dark Ride,” “Destined to Fly,” and “The Forge of Vulcan.” Then, the Bellarmine/Notre Dame Wind Ensemble finished the concert off with “Galactic Fanfare,” “Theme from Schindler’s List,” “Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo,” and “See Rock City!” For the performance of “Theme from Schindler’s List”, the Wind Ensemble featured Ajay Mallya ’21 as the violin soloist.
Overall, the performers generally felt proud of the concert they put together.
“I enjoyed being able to see the different ensembles perform. The many different talented musicians show what a well-rounded education Bellarmine offers and the dedication of the students,” said Max Amend ’22, violinist for the BCO.
Mrs. Wyant’s birthday happened to be the same day as the spring concert, so the performers celebrated her birthday as well.
“We all got ready and by the time it was good to perform, we were already excited to do well since we celebrated Mrs. Wyant before our parents celebrate [our performances,” said Ben Robinson ’20, who is part of the symphonic band.
Mrs. Wyant praised the performers for all of their success Monday night.
“The actual performance is the best! Hearing all the hard work come to peak through the completion of the performance is exciting. And I am always especially happy to get the professional recording afterward,” she said.
In addition to the performances, BCO members were each given official certificates during the concert as recognition for their work throughout the BCO’s inaugural year (2018-2019).
“They were a great symbol of appreciation towards our willingness to be a part of something new. I really appreciate the recognition of our work,” Max said.
For the other musical groups, Mrs. Wyant looks forward to more performances and exciting new experiences in the upcoming years.
“It would be great to travel with all the music groups to other places/countries to share music with other high school students and their communities,” she said.
The Bellarmine Chamber Orchestra has had a wide range of success this year, and Mrs. Wyant is optimistic for the future of the BCO.
“The BCO is going to grow exponentially in the upcoming few years. It will be thrilling to see!”
