Band says farewell
The Manhattan High School bands wrapped up a fulfilling year on May 12 in Rezac Auditorium for their Awards Concert and Dr. Joel Gittle’s Farewell. Awards were given out to band members, section and rank leaders were declared and dozens of MHS alumni came to say goodbye to Dr. Gittle after 36 years of directing the MHS bands.
“I’m going to miss the community the most,” senior Agnes Choi said. “I feel like music really brings us together. And, I’ve met a lot of my best friends from the band.”
The Symphonic Band played “Ammerland,” “Keystone,” and “First We Dream,” while Advanced Band played “Choose Joy,” “Tis a Gift” with the Chamber Choir, “Blue Sky Odyssey,” composed and conducted by MHS alumni Grace Baugher-Dunlap and “Old Scottish Melody.”
“I really love ‘Choose Joy.’ I’ve played it a few times before already, but it’s just such a good piece,” Choi said. “I feel like music holds meaning and it really is very uplifting. Like, there’s motion in the music and I think it can be very moving.”
Reflecting on the year, the band accomplished milestone after milestone. From wrapping up the marching band season with a Superior I at the Central States Marching Band Festival, to sending five talented musicians to KMEA All-State, having 19 qualifying Superior or Excellent events for the KSHSAA state Solo & Ensemble Festival and much more, band students excelled this year. Members learned perseverance, but most importantly, patience.
“You have to be patient. Making music is not just like a one and done thing,” Choi said. “Like, there’s a lot of little nitpicky things that you go through and like cleaning up excerpts or when your director is working with a different section than yours, you just have to be patient.”
Seniors are leaving on anything but a flat note and hope that the passion for music plays on in band students coming in from the middle schools.
“Come in with an open mind. I feel like, especially with marching band, I feel like a lot of people either love it or hate it, but I feel like you should at least give it a shot like you, even if it’s not your favorite thing,” Choi said. “You can still meet a lot of amazing people and it’s a lot of fun if you have your mind open and just go in with a positive mindset.”
Choir seniors finish high school with final concert
The Manhattan High School choirs have been practicing for multiple concerts this week.
Their first event sees the Chamber Choir being featured at the final band concert on Tuesday, singing a small part in the song “Tis a Gift.” On Wednesday, all choirs will sing a variety of songs for this year’s closing. Chamber Choir will be singing “Water Night,” “Rockin Jerusalem,” “Bogoroditsye Dyevo,” “Ave Generosa” by the treble singers, and “Arrow” by the tenor/bass singers. Pops Choir will perform at the same concert, featuring the songs “Human Heart,” “Cantique de Jean Racine,” “Blackbird” and their two contest pieces “With A Lily in Your Hand” and “Flow O My Tears”.
“My favorite song that we are going to perform is ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You,'” senior Leah Herring said. “This piece means a lot to me. It’s been a tradition to sing this song at the final concert every year. It’s a send-off for seniors and people who are entering a new chapter in life.”
This piece is one that invites past choir members to join the chamber on stage and sing along. As seniors look back on their years in high school, the thing they will miss the most after graduating shines clearly.
“Getting to work with the other musicians around me, and the music we get to create together,” Herring said. “Also the big milestones and moments we share like large group contests, District and State ensemble competitions and Pops shows.”
As the year comes to an end seniors have some advice for underclassmen at MHS.
“It’s not about getting a perfect score or an A, but coming to create moments and music with others who share the same passion and enthusiasm for music,” Herring said.
Orchestra sends off with huge finale
The stage lights dimmed at Manhattan High School for the final time this season as every ensemble within the orchestra performed their end-of-year concert on May 6. The event served as a musical finale for the orchestra this year. The performance featured a diverse amount of songs ranging from classical masterpieces by Tchaikovsky to more modern works. For the students, this was the big time to shine after months of rigorous rehearsal.
“The end of year event was our final concert of the year where every orchestra participates in playing orchestral pieces that not only sound great because of how much we practiced it, but show the growth throughout the whole year,” sophomore Rishivar Porika said.
Among the highlights was a performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings.” The intricate piece required a balance of different and complex beat patterns and lyrical precision.
“My favorite part was movement one from the Tchaikovsky,” junior Samuel Byerly said. “I love the opening to it and I love the various melodies throughout the piece and just like the contrast that it has from like the fast and the heavy triplets to like the scrambling 16th notes.”
Beyond the classical music, the orchestra played also to highlight significant cultural narratives. The program included “Memorial Song” and “War Dance,” pieces performed in collaboration with Greg Victors, a Wichita War Dancer. The music addressed the history of his tribe that had their own Trail of Tears, which passed through Nebraska.
“It was great collaborating with him on how the music should go and learning about his culture,” Porika said. “I think the best part was really synergizing with the rest of the orchestra and just having fun while playing the piece while letting the audience enjoy what we’ve created.”
The students also admitted that the finale was one of the hardest and most rehearsed concerts of the school year.
“We practiced ‘Memorial Song’ about 50 gazillion times,” Byerly said. “It kind of got annoying, but it’s still a good piece and I really enjoyed it.”
