Band, orchestra and choir are winding down for the school year

As the 2023-2024 school year comes to a close, let’s take a look at the band, orchestra and choir as they put on their final concerts. 

Firstly, the band. The bands have already completed their run of concerts, having held their final one in the first week of may. The following Saturday, the bands also performed the same show at a contest, which was hosted in the gym. The wind symphony, conducted by Gerald Ramsey, received a perfect score from all three judges, while the symphonic band, conducted by Kyle Engelhardt, followed just behind with a 39 out of 40 from all three judges. This ends the year for the band, with no more shows or new music to be handed out. Instead, the band will spend the last few days of the school year preparing for marching band next season, as well as touching up on this year’s marching band show, which will be performed in the Sturgis falls parade, as is tradition. Next year’s marching band season will be the first performed in a stadium on an open field, as well as the first in the new high school, so both Engelhardt and Ramsey wanted to open with an instantly recognizable show. Next year, the marching band will play a mashup of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rhapsody in Blue.” 

The choir also experienced a very successful year. Elliot Kranz is the director of all three choir ensembles at the high school and praised their performance at every concert and rehearsal. The 2023-2024 school year for choir went about the same as every other year according to Kranz, who said that they performed well and experienced growth and that the most exciting thing for choir right now is the future. Moving into the new building will bring much appreciated updates to equipment that will enhance performances. This will be most noticeable in the auditorium, since it will be improving upon nearly every aspect, most notably the space that is available on stage. Kranz said he is excited to expand the ensembles into the new building and take advantage of the new space and equipment to the fullest extent. Though Kranz does believe that the new building will take some time to adjust to, for choir. 

Finally, orchestra. Orchestra is also coming to a close for the year as of now, and like both band and choir, Samuel Naumann, director of the orchestra, is excited to move into a new space. Just like the two programs shown before, the new space in a new school will allow the orchestra to expand in terms of rehearsal, as space is no longer a limiting factor. Even though the prospect of moving into a new space is just on the horizon, that did not hinder the last year spent in the current high school, which the orchestra is leaving having given an excellent performance this year. The new auditorium is a highlight of transitioning to the new high school for orchestra, as the increased space on stage is going to make life a lot easier for moving the heavier equipment, as well as the possibilities of what can be done at concerts. 

All three music programs are ready to relocate into the new space, completing their final year in this high school on a bittersweet note.