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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Austintown Fitch bands performed in the Fitch auditorium on March 7. The concert featured the freshman band (pictured), the concert band, the symphonic band and two ensembles.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The concert band played two traditional pieces, including one with three movements, and two songs from popular culture, including songs from the movie "High School Musical" and A-Ha's "Take on Me."
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Austintown Fitch band concert began with a trumpet trio that performed "Three Cadets" by F.H. McKay. Pictured are Nick Mattiussi, Pat Coleman and Josh Yeager.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The symphonic band closed out the Fitch band concert on March 7. The played a series of traditional songs and a medley of songs from the film "La La Land." Pictured, the band performed "Trumpet Concerto" by Johann Nepomuk Hummel, which featured a trumpet solo by Robert Malizia.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Fitch band concert featured two ensembles. Both ensembles performed at a solo and ensemble competition earlier in the school year. Pictured, the saxophone quintet of Zack Kimble, Maeson Green, Matt Smutny, Amani Wadi-Ramahi and Matt Krawick performed Percy Hall's "Dance-A-Jig."
By ZACK SHIVELY
The Fitch band had their annual winter concert on March 7 in the high school auditorium.
The concert featured the school’s freshman band, concert band and symphonic band, as well as two performances by a trumpet trio and a saxophone quintet. The bands played both traditional pieces and popular songs. Wesley O’Connor directed all the bands and introduced each selection before the band performed.
The concert began with the trumpet trio’s performance of “Three Cadets“ by F.H. McKay. The three trumpeters played the piece at a solo and ensemble competition earlier in the school year.
The freshman band followed the trio. They began with “The Star Spangled Banner,“ which featured the Austintown Fitch Color Guard carrying flags down the aisles in the auditorium. They played Richard L. Saucedo’s “Fanfare for the Third Planet,“ Clare Grundman’s “Kentucky 1800,“ James Swearingen’s “Aventura“ and Floyd St. Clair’s “The Steel King March.“
The concert band performed after the freshman band. They began with Frank L. Losey’s “March Gloria.“ They played two songs from popular culture: “Highlights from High School Musical“ arranged by Ted Ricketts based on the music from the Disney film and “Take On Me“ by A-Ha with an arrangement for concert band by Paul Murtha.
They also played a three movement song called “Where the River Flows“ by Swearingen. The first movement followed the Shawnee tribe arriving in Ohio. The second movement switched to the perspective of the early American settlers as the Shawnee abducted Marmaduke Van Swearingen. The final movement explored the abducted Swearingen’s rise in the tribe to become chief Blue Jacket.
The group’s saxophone quintet followed the concert band with Percy Hall’s “Dance-A-Jig.“ They also performed the piece at competition.
The symphonic band finished the night with “Mercury” by Jan van der Roost, “A Copland Portrait“ by Grundman and “Trumpet Concerto“ by Johann Nepomuk Hummel, which featured a solo by Robert Malizia on the trumpet. Grundman’s piece was a medley of Copland songs.
They then played “Highlights from La La Land“ arranged by Michael Brown based on the songs from the film “La La Land“ and finished with “America the Beautiful.“ Between the songs, O’Connor asked students who belonged to extracurricular activities to stand to show how active in the school and community the students are.
The band will have a future performances with their spring concert on May 10 and a jazz festival on May 16. They will also perform in the National Cherry Blossom Parade on April 15, which will be televised nationally.