The last time the Medicine Hat Concert Band Society hosted an in-person Christmas concert was in 2019.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat Concert Band Society is inviting Hatters to immerse themselves in the sounds of the Holiday Season during its first in-person Christmas concert since 2019.
Titled Christmas, Together Again, the concert will feature an array of music performed by the society’s Andante and Allegro bands.
“There’s a variety of songs,” Andante conductor Mark Ward told the News. “The Andante band is doing a really fun mashup of some Christmas carols with the music from The Barber of Seville. (And then) we’re doing a beautiful version of Silent Night and some wonderful swing tunes that will get people’s toes tapping.”
“On the Allegro band’s end, we have some very early Christmas music to some more modern takes,” said Allegro conductor Curtis Perrin. “We have an arrangement of a 16th century carols that’s all in Latin called Gaudete. Then, we’ve got Leroy Anderson’s classic Sleigh Ride (and) a medley of Christmas tunes called ‘Cowboy Christmas.’ which mixes some themes from various Western movies.”
Ward and Perrin are particularly excited for the final three songs of the concert, for which the Andante and Allegro bands – comprised of approximately 70 musicians total – will come together to perform.
“And we’re going to end the concert with a full audience sing-along with both bands,” said Perrin. “Because what better way to send people off into the Christmas Season than with a good sing-along?”
A Concert Band Society musician since 2014, Perrin says he is looking forward to seeing audience members react to the music with enthusiasm, in whichever form feels most appropriate to them.
“Sometimes people might want to clap and cheer,” said Perrin. “Sometimes people are going to bob around. Sometimes you get to the end of a slower, more reflective piece, and the reaction we hope for is just that little bit of silence where everyone just sits and thinks, ‘Oh, that was beautiful.'”
While Ward, a longtime member, says he is most excited to share the merriment of the season with audience members of all ages.
“It would be wonderful to see some younger audience members there to enjoy the music and hopefully for them to create a tradition of coming to our Christmas concerts as well,” he said.
