Orchestra excels with varied program

The Greenville High School Steel Drum Band added high energy.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- The Greenville Symphony Orchestra concert Saturday evening at Thiel College offered listeners a little bit of everything.
Under the skilled direction of Michael Gelfand of Boardman, the orchestra played a wide range of classical music and a medley from Broadway.
They were joined by pianist William E. Hurlbert and the Greenville High School Steel Drum Band, under the direction of Eric Schrader.
The quality and level of professionalism of this performance was simply amazing. The orchestra began with a fast and exciting rendition of the overture to Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro."
Steel drum band
Next, the spotlight was on the huge steel drum band, which also included other types of drums and percussion, singers and saxophone. The group, in blue tropical-print shirts, played calypso, Latin, bossa nova, nova soca, classical, jazz and Broadway.
They began with "Na Onda Do Berimbau," which set the mood for the exotic, then switched gears to "Last Night of the World" from "Miss Saigon."
This exquisitely beautiful song featured vocal soloists Jessica Kiser and Reuben Lillie, with Colin Jones on sax.
Next came an energetic piece titled "Can-tata," in which the musicians played various cans: empty institution-sized jalape & ntilde;o pepper cans, cookie tins, a large garbage can and one brake drum, along with the other instruments, to create the most interesting and fascinating sounds. It was impossible to sit still during this one!
Last appearance with orchestra
After the orchestra played a lovely performance of waltzes, "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss Jr., it was joined by Hurlbert in the first movement of Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15."
This was Hurlbert's last performance with the orchestra. He was presented flowers, then treated the audience to two encores, "Dizzy Fingers" by Zez Confrey and "The Little White Donkey" by Jacques Ibert.
After intermission, the orchestra demonstrated its versatility in a rousing and jazzy medley from "Chicago."
The steel drum band returned with a fun piece called "Sarah." Just watching these kids was a treat. Their energy seemed to take over, requiring very little direction from Schrader.
Kiser was then joined by Schrader's colleague, vocalist and choir director Lisa Demarest, as they beautifully sang "Pie Jesu" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Requiem," accompanied by the band. They ended with an ethereal piece called "Santana."
The orchestra ended the concert with the popular fantasy overture by Tchaikovsky, "Romeo and Juliet," and both the orchestra and band played an encore.