On Tuesday evening, March 21st, the CHS Concert Band took to the high school commons’ stage to perform its winter concert. Two nights later, on the 23rd, it was the Kodiak Chorale’s turn. Both ensembles then traveled to Wenatchee to take part in the North Central Washington Music Educators Association’s Large Group Festivals.
The Band and the Choir are amid remarkably successful seasons under the direction of Jace Rowland and Isabella Garcia y Lauer, both of whom are in their first years at CHS and in the Cascade School District. Garcia, Director of Choral Music (CHS Select and Chorale Choirs; IRMS Advanced and Intermediate Choirs; Voces Exordium, or beginning voices), holds a bachelor’s degree of Music in Vocal Performance from Eastern Washington University and a master’s degree in teaching from Whitworth University. Rowland, Director of Bands (CHS Concert Band; Marching Band; Jazz Band), is a graduate of Central Washington University and previously taught in Skykomish.
Rowland felt that the band played well, modestly calling it a “very successful evening.” That success was then parlayed into the highest rating grade, “Superior,” at the band festival in Wenatchee the following day, a notable achievement.
The CHS Concert Band’s winter concert program, conducted by Rowland and performed to a full house, consisted of three pieces: Highland Legend, composed by John Moss; The Last Rose of Summer by Mark Williams; and Marching Song by Gustav Holst, arranged by John Moss. Rowland felt that the band played well, modestly calling it a “very successful evening.” That success was then parlayed into the highest rating grade, “Superior,” at the band festival in Wenatchee the following day, a notable achievement.
“We’ve been practicing the pieces since January,” recounted Rowland, who continued: “After the kids have the fundamental notes and rhythms down of a particular work, and then a basic understanding of it as a whole, we move to refining and squeezing out all the nuance we can to present a polished performance.”
The CHS concert served the band well as preparation for the festival. “There is a difference between practice and performing,” explained Rowland, who went on to affirm that “being on stage in front of people with nerves and lights and only one shot to get it right is great training.” The band and its director then had the chance the following morning to conduct a post-mortem of the performance and make adjustments before taking the festival stage.
Sophomore Reese Mathers, who has been in band since sixth grade and plays clarinet and bass clarinet, feels that “the post-concert analysis of performances actually helps a lot” and might even be her “favorite part of being in band, except for the bus rides, which are chaotically fun and build community.”
Fun and community are also central to Garcia’s choirs, comprised of over 130 students across four ensembles at CHS and IRMS, all four of which, over two days, she brought to the North Central Washington Large Group festivals at Wenatchee High School. “I am really happy with how our winter concert and festivals went,” recalled Garcia, who went on to say that “the kids represented our school well and sang well.”
Like the Band, the choirs’ winter performances in the CHS commons served not only to entertain and engage the CSD community, but to prepare the groups for the festivals. “The choreography and sound balance in a larger room can be quite different than at practice in the choir room,” explained Garcia.
Performing as the Kodiak Chorale, the CHS choir included both the Chorale and Select choirs, the latter of which will be renamed “Vox Vallis,” or Voice of the Valley, next school year. The high school choristers’ program consisted of: Shady Grove, arranged by Cristy Cary Miller with sophomore Paige Runions accompanying on fiddle; Cloths of Heaven, arranged by Z. Randall Stroope; and Coast Salish Medley, arranged by Wendy Stuart with Coal Fiano and Gretchen Leach accompanying on the hand drum and djembe, respectively. Of note, the latter piece was also choreographed with rhythmic chest thumps and each chorister moving about the stage to hit their marks.
“I like taking on new styles to convey different messages,” said Runions about the concert. Continuing, she revealed that “while I play violin, I don’t usually perform on it. So, that was a new experience for me and fun.”
The production was the third this year under the direction of Garcia, who is very quickly and auspiciously growing into the position: “Each concert has been different, of course, but I think I have good feel for how to get the best out of the kids every time. And it goes beyond just the actual singing. It’s the whole thing that goes into a successful concert: from the choreography to the preparing the accompanists, ensuring proper concert attire to the proper stage setting, and everything in between.”
The future of the band and choir programs at CHS is bright under Rowland and Garcia. As Rowland put it: “The program has a lot of potential and a lot of room to grow and be more involved with the community. Good students, good staff, good facilities, good community - all the components for a successful program are here. Instinct told me, after interviewing and being offered the job, that this was a good place to be, and I’ve been having a blast ever since.”
The Choir and Band are already back at work preparing for their spring concerts in May, for which Garcia asserted that she is “excited to once again to show off my students.”
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