Small ensembles to pack big punch

Ashley Viszneki, Staff writer

This fall’s Small Ensembles concert will take place on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Walker Recital Hall.
One of the ensembles featured in this concert is the flute ensemble.
The flutes featured in this ensemble are the C flute (standard flute), piccolos, the alto flute and the bass flute.
The music featured in this ensemble includes everything from standard flute duets to jazz charts.
“I am most excited for this concert because you can see students in the department flourish as leaders and learn new skills while being in a small ensemble that you can’t experience in one of the larger ones,” said Morgan Dowches, a sophomore Music Therapy major.
Her favorite piece on the program was written by her lesson teacher, Amanda Sage.
Another small ensemble that is playing is the clarinet choir.
This choir features five Bb clarinets and one bass clarinet.
They will be performing two pieces of different styles.
“My favorite piece is Czardas by Vittorio Monti (arranged by Kazuhiro Morita) because it is such a well-known folk song and this is full of lush harmony and catchy rhythms,” said Emily Zbrzezny, a junior Music Education major.
“I am most excited for the small ensemble concert because I love playing in a small group and sharing wonderful music with people,” Zbrzezny said.
The third ensemble playing is the saxophone quartet.
This ensemble features soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone and baritone saxophone.
It will feature a variety of different pieces.
“My favorite piece is Fantasy on theme of Jupiter by Gustav Holst because it is beautiful and there are some really great solos in the piece,” said Greta Stoner, a freshman Music Education major.
Stoner is most excited for the concert because the saxophones “have a super great group and it’s a lot of fun to perform with them, and we have really great repertoire.”
The fourth ensemble is the string ensemble, which features two violinists and one violist.
They will be playing Dvorak’s string trio Miniatures, op 75a: movements 1,2 and 3.
“My favorite movement is the second movement because I like the folky style in the trilled chords and the running sixteenths,” said first violin Kayla Bravchok, a senior Music Education major.
“I’m excited to perform because chamber music is my favorite part of playing, but also we’ve grown a lot as a group and the piece is fun to play,” Bravchock said.
The fifth ensemble is the chamber singers.
This ensemble will perform a variety of Christmas carols from the100 Carols for Choir book.
“‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ by Harold Darke is my favorite song that the chamber singers will be singing because it is a setting of the Christina Rossetti poem of the same name,” said Stephanie Dowling, a senior Music Education), who sings soprano 2 in the group — and who says Rossetti is her favorite poet.
“I am most excited about this concert because it is my last small ensembles concert since I will be student teaching next spring,” Dowling said.
The last ensemble is the brass ensemble, which features two trumpets and two trombones.
Their set features a piece by Bach, a piece by Gabrielli and a Canadian Brass version of “Amazing Grace” that has trumpet solos.
“I am excited for this concert because I’ve been practicing for this concert all semester and it has led up to this,” said trombonist Renee Wolverton, a freshman Music Performance major.
This concert is free and open to the public.