In the combination between Hays and Rock Hill percussion ensembles, they had their concert on April. 11, located in the RHHS Auditorium. Performances included four HMS ensembles and three RHHS percussion ensembles.
Included in the program were four Marimba soloists, senior Luca Colaruotolo, junior Kayley O’Brien, sophomore Justin Cotter and freshman Ajay Abraham. With a special visit from a drum set solo from a world renowned percussion musician, Paul Wertico.
“He was fantastic with the kids, and made an effort to make sure they had fun and enjoyed themselves,” Percussion director Chris Retschulte said.
While the percussion concert showcases different styles of percussion, it also included special student artists who performed alongside the percussionists in the Rock Hill Percussion Ensemble. Senior Semi Akindebe sung alongside the RHHS Percussion ensemble in their piece, ‘Bossa Nova Baby’ in which the original piece was sung by Elvis Presly. The concert piece was remixed by Mr. Chris Reschulte.
“It was so lively and made me want to move!” Akindebe said.
Akindebe was influenced to sing in the concert by his choir teacher, Mr. Josh McGuire, in which his teacher mentioned that one day as musicians there would be ‘musical’ conversations between different musicians for performances and ensembles.
“Emotionally I felt so alive!,” Akindebe said. “I have so much fun on stage but when I have a whole ensemble working with me it’s just crazy fun!”
As a singer, Akindebe had to learn the different environments between singing inside a choral setting and performing in a bigger instrumental ensemble; just like the percussion ensemble.
“I depend on the other voice parts to get their entrances so I can enter; however, I have to listen more to the different instruments to cue into my parts and I have to blend with the instruments,” Akindebe said.
As playing the piano for one of the RHHS Wind Symphony’s pieces, a door was open for freshman Elisha Chiu. He was the synthesizer player for a couple of the percussion ensembles. Chiu’s experience in the concert helped him gain friendships from the members.
“The energy of the performance, the bond that was felt between the other percussionists, and the response from the audience made the experience unforgettable,” Chiu said.
The percussion concert took a long time to plan out including booking the auditorium, planning out which piece every ensemble will perform, coordinating the middle school portion with Mr. Alvarino, the Hays Middle School percussion director and even getting a guest artist took time. At the end, all of the help everyone served created a concert that brought a big audience in.
“Just that it takes a village to produce something of that magnitude, and all the help along the way was greatly appreciated by all,” Retschulte said.
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