Musical talent is very much alive and loud and strong among the students at Vankleek Hill Collegiate.
A large and appreciative crowd applauded the performances of musically-gifted students during an April 17 concert hosted by the VCI Music Program.
“They (students) were pretty excited,” said Ashley Macleod-McRae of the VCI music department and one of the co-organizers for the event. “It was a real moment for them.”
The Thursday evening event in the VCI cafetorium featured 18 sets that included the VCI Concert Band, the VCI Choir, the VCI Fiddlers, the VCI Clarinet Quartet, members of the VCI Country Band, and individual performances by Thomas Joyner and Baker Gauthier. More than $900 was raised to help support the VCI Music Program.
The student performers presented musical selections ranging from Gaelic traditionals like “Mhairi’s Wedding” and “The Bluebells of Scotland” to jazz favourites like “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Jackson”, a Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash standard. One highlight of the concert was the VCI Concert Band’s rendition of “Darklands March”, composer Randall D. Standridge’s brooding concert fantasy piece about several characters in an imaginary world.
While Macleod-McRae orchestrated the overall event, she noted that members of the VCI Choir and several other students selected the pieces they wanted to perform.
“The goal, overall, for this from the beginning was for them to perform,” she said. “We are very proud of our students. This was a promising sign that music is alive and well at VCI.”
