I had not attended a symphony since elementary school, so I was excited to have the opportunity to attend one through Rose scholars. The symphony was more than just musical performance, it was an experience! My favorite piece was called Montuno, which the conductor said would be “especially colorful”. Initially I was confused by his use of the word “colorful” to describe music, but it became clear what he meant when the ensemble started playing. The music was upbeat and exciting, with numerous transitions that kept the listener on their toes. I felt that this piece in particular belonged in a drama or a play due to its ability to evoke exhilarating and suspenseful emotions. By the end of the symphony, I found myself regretting not taking orchestra in middle school.

Before Thanksgiving, I attended the CU wind symphony performance featuring the US air force band. Prior to this event, I had never attended a performance by the CU wind symphony, so it was nice to attend one for the first time. It was also interesting to learn more about the US Air Force Band, as well as the songs that the CU wind symphony played. I look forward to attending another performance again next semester.

On Saturday, November 17th, I attended the CU Wind Symphony concert. I chose to attend this concert when I first saw a flyer advertising the program about a few weeks ago. A particular piece struck out to me — ” The Symphonic Dances of West Side Story”, originally written by Leonard Bernstein and transcribed by Paul Lavender. I had played this piece of music during my senior year of high school in my wind ensemble. This piece was by far the most musically challenging piece I had ever worked on in my life. Running a course of over 20 minutes, this piece took a lot of endurance and technicality that could not be matched. Despite the difficulty, it was definitely my most favorite piece of music that I had ever played.

In high school, I was heavily involved in the music program, which was boasted as being one of the strongest high school performing arts programs in New York City. I played a total of 5 instruments — the euphonium, tuba, trombone, french horn, and trombone. I was in the wind ensemble for all four years of high school, the marching band during my sophomore and junior years, and the jazz band during my junior year. My instructors were very tough and they pushed us to the best we could be; most of us regarded our band classes as the hardest classes, even harder than AP or college-level academic classes.

“The Symphonic Dances of West Side Story” means a lot to me because it resembles the culmination of my extraneous high school music career. It was the last song we had played during our high school graduation. The piece itself encompassed so many different styles of music and kept me on edge for the entire duration. Hearing the CU Wind Symphony perform this piece was a real treat for me. I had never expected to hear this piece again after playing the final note during my high school graduation. Every section, phrase, measure, and note took me back to when I had performed it during high school and brought me back to a much simpler time. I would like to thank the CU Wind Symphony for giving me that experience. And although I am not currently involved in any music groups on campus this semester, I may look forward to auditioning to the CU Wind Symphony in the future.

I really enjoyed the Cornell Wind Symphony concert last Saturday. The symphony prepared some really nice arrangements and I was especially excited about the West Side Story one, being that I’m Puerto Rican and that musical is centered on Puerto Ricans in NY.

Another very exciting part of the night was when the US Air Force Heritage of America Band performed. Just like the CU Wind Symphony, they were insanely good. Even more exciting was the fact that one of the conductors of the US Air Force Heritage of America Band was Puerto Rican. During one part of the concert he started talking about Roberto Sierra, a Puerto Rican composer. He then mentioned that he himself was Puerto Rican, and in true “boricua” fashion I yelled out “¡WEPA!”. He immediately recognized it and said “¿Boricua?” and I yelled out “¡Sí!”. It’s always really exciting when you meet people from your home and that can partake in the little things of your culture.

While not heavily publicized, the Cornell Wind Symphony Concert was an amazing concert. Featuring dancers from Cornell’s performing arts program and the US Air Force Heritage of America Band, it was an exciting performance featuring a very diverse song selection, ranging from the Armed Forces of America medley to songs from Westside Story. It was hilarious when the bassist from the Air Force band came on stage and everyone started clapping thinking he was the conductor. The concert was a wild ride, consisting primarily of rousing melodies and beats from across the gamut of genres, featuring both Latin American Salsa beats along with the rhythmic marches of Sousa. While it is difficult to capture the beauty of the music in words, here is the link below so you can watch it yourself.

https://www.cornell.edu/video/wind-symphony-us-air-force-heritage-of-america-band-nov-17-2018?fbclid=IwAR0PT4FhUPiXJeaEsUmGzzmA4PMCGn-DK96aLrB2U4tWxfTP667acJIHQIQ

Last night, I attended the CU Wind Symphony’s concert not as an audience member but as a performer. It was a very special night for me, and made even more singular by being able to share it with my fellow Rose Scholars. While I found the whole program enjoyable, especially the section where the Air Force Heritage of America band was given the stage to share their extraordinary musicianship, I found the most impactful part of the evening was when we performed the Symphonic Dances Suite from West Side Story. This musical has had a profound effect on my development as a musician. I was first exposed to the music of Leonard Bernstein in freshman year of high school, when my school put on West Side Story as our spring musical and I performed in the pit orchestra. As a fledgling clarinet player, this complicated music was beyond intimidating, but ultimately made me a much stronger player. The second time I was in close contact with West Side Story was the summer after my freshman year of college, when I participated in a local theater program’s production of the show. Finally, my recent experience with the Wind Symphony marks another memorable contact with Bernstein’s work. It is truly special for me to be honoring and celebrating this spectacular musician and educator in the way I, and he, understood best, and I am excited to potentially grow further as musician through future encounters.