City High bands held their mid-winter band concert earlier this week in Opstad. The Wind Ensemble, Symphony, and Concert Band have been preparing for this concert for about six weeks. The bands performed four pieces each.

“I think that this band concert went very well, as all three bands performed at a high level. It is always wonderful to see every band here at City High push themselves to become the best that they can be from one concert to the next, and it was a fantastic night of music-making in Opstad,” Aaron Ottmar, Band Director at City High, said.

Continuous school delays and cancellations this past month caused the band to miss rehearsal time.

“February is a busy month for the City High Music Department, because there is a lot going on already, but to have missed rehearsal time on top of that was a challenge. However, our students rose to the challenge and overcame it to play a fantastic concert for our audience,” Ottmar said. 

Mr. Ottmar increased the difficulty level for the Symphony Band, pushing them to work on more challenging techniques throughout their music. Wind Ensemble performed a couple of pieces that were extremely exposed, which required extra practice from everyone in the band.

“Precision was necessary when not many people were playing [during the pieces that were more exposed], which is very difficult to achieve,” Mike Kowbel, Band Director, said.

Although the bands faced challenges, newer techniques, and higher levels of difficulty, they still put on an impressive performance for the audience.

“I believe that each performance is so unique in that it’s the only time that those pieces are performed for an audience. We do our best to program meaningful music that will speak to the hearts and souls of our audience so that it is not just another concert.’ We always want to do our best to share the power of music with everyone every time that we are able to grace the stage,” Ottmar said.

Following this mid-winter concert, The Wind Ensemble, Symphony, and Concert bands are beginning preparations for their next performance.