On Wednesday, Oct. 8, the Lakewood High School Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Mixed Choir hosted this year’s Classic Symposium. The event opened with “Declaration Overture,” written by Claude T. Smith and performed by the Wind Ensemble, led by director Clinton Steinbrunner.
The Classic Symposium is a biannual concert series featuring masterworks, with a rotating cycle of pieces performed at each event. Steinbrunner said, “Every year, we play masterworks from band, the literature from band and the Holst suites. The first and the second suites are both really high up on that list of seminal works. So we actually alternate—every other year, we’re doing one of the Holst suites, because they’re just so important to the band world.” Steinbrunner emphasized the significance of these performances, not only for the audience but also for the band as a whole. These songs are a vital part of the band’s origin.
These beautifully articulated pieces, which bring a classical feeling to a modernized world, are pieces of music that should not only touch but also stick and resonate with the audience in attendance. Steinbrunner expressed hope that listeners would experience these masterworks for band. “I hope they get the experience of hearing these masterworks for band because they’re just really great pieces of music,” he said. “If they haven’t ever heard them before, they should, and so I’m just happy they got to hear some Holst and some Claude T. Smith.”
This was a stellar way for the band to open a performance this year, hopefully leading into future projects for not only the wind ensemble but the Lakewood Band as a whole. Steinbrunner is very optimistic and believes this will be an excellent year for Lakewood High School’s band and performing arts as a whole. He said, “It’s the first time that the wind ensemble plays together as a group, and really kind of digs into some meaty music. So it really shows us what we’re capable of, and the kind of work ethic that all the band students have… They did a tremendous job, and they really dug in and played the snot out of this music. So it’s going to allow us to play even more interesting things as the year goes on.”
This opening act served as a phenomenal hook, leaving the audience with a tasteful experience with the band and leading into the next segment of the classic symposium. The Symphonic Mixed Choir, led by director Rayna Brooks, opened their performance with Handel’s “And the Glory of the Lord.”
Brooks said, “We were doing Handel’s Messiah, and that’s a tough way to start the year. So the main goal was just to get the notes and rhythms under our belt and then turn them into something really musical.”
This performance was well executed and a great way to start the year. They easily managed and produced excellently, showcasing their talents, which will only grow as the year continues.
This entails benefitting these young performers, building their confidence and skills, especially with a difficult collection of pieces like this year’s symposium, Brooks said. “I think it benefits them in a few ways. One is that this is a really classic piece of choir literature, so they get to perform that in high school, which is pretty rare. And then also it gets them a chance to hear the wind ensemble for the first time this year.” Brooks is giving credit to the performing arts, which are expected to have a stellar year as performances continue throughout the year.
Brooks also spoke about what she found most rewarding as a director and educator: seeing the final product of her work. She said, “The most rewarding part was seeing students start to take ownership over the rehearsal process and talk about what was going well and what they wanted to fix.” She highlighted how the choir worked together to build confidence and sharpen their skills.
After hearing these phenomenal pieces from both the Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Mixed Choir, the night concluded with a conversation with Aiden Holian, a bass member of the Symphonic Mixed Choir.
Holian said he hopes the audience took away that music should be inspiring and that everyone should try it. “It’s a great way to bond with people, and it just helps bring communities together,” he said. Holian hopes this performance will inspire and add a musical touch to the audience’s lives, guiding them onto their own paths through the opportunities music offers—the windows it opens and the relationships it can build.
Holian also expressed pleasure with the performance and sees it as a great beginning to the performing year. “This event went really well, so it will hopefully continue on and just has a snowball effect to keep us going throughout the year,” he said.
Holian shared his personal favorite, a crowd favorite song performed: “Hallelujah,” a timeless piece widely known and easily recognizable. He said, “It’s just a classic overall. It’s something that every person here knows, and even if you don’t really know it, you’ve most likely heard it throughout your life. So it was just such an easy piece to keep in your ear. It’s such an earworm, and it allows us to just show our capacity for music.”
This concluded the night. The Classic Symposium was a phenomenal performance and a great opening for both the Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Mixed Choir, who are destined to have a great year. You will be able to catch their next performance at 14100 Franklin Blvd., Suite 1, Door 4, located underneath Johnny Appleseed.
