Rather than presenting a lineup of traditional seasonal tunes on Dec. 12, the band will feature a classical repertoire that has connections to the season, but not necessarily the selections that first come to mind.
The Moorestown Community Band’s 35th season kicks off with a free winter concert at the William Allen Middle School auditorium on Friday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m.
This concert will be a bit different from the band’s typical holiday program: Rather than presenting a lineup of traditional seasonal tunes, the band will dive into a classical repertoire that has connections to the season, but isn’t necessarily the selections that first come to mind.
A number that the band’s music director/conductor Michelle Gergich is especially excited about is, “The Eighth Candle,” composed by Steve Reisteter.
The central ritual of Hanukkah involves the lighting of the Menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum, or candlestick. Each night of the Jewish holiday, an additional candle is lit, culminating in all eight candles being illuminated on the final night.
Reisteter’s piece is a classical work that can be hard to perform live, so Gergich is proud to see the band rehearse it for the concert.
“It’s challenging our band, it’s challenging all of us,” Gergich explained of “The Eighth Candle.” “We all have a chance to grow, myself included. It’s not just about them (the band) growing. We are all in this together. We all show up to rehearsals …
“Yes, it’s their hobby and it’s my hobby,” she added, “but it’s also work. We’re all growing in this process and we’re all learning, and I’m having to learn this piece and get to know it to a level that I can teach it to them.”
The band’s winter concert will also feature French horn player Christopher Sempier, a senior at Moorestown High School, performing as soloist on composer Barry Milner’s “Serenade for Horn and Band,” a piece that boasts the beauty and majesty of the horn. Sempier’s performance will also be an opportunity to showcase the talent growing in the Moorestown community.
“With community bands, we often get in a rut of wanting to please everybody,” Gergich noted. “It becomes a hodgepodge of doing the same thing all the time. We do have to have something for everybody, but we can do things like this concert.
“I’m sure that every single person who comes to this concert is going to find something for themselves, but it’s all classical repertoire.”
In the spirit of the band’s community outreach mission, the band will collect donations for the First Baptist Church of Moorestown’s food pantry during the show. Audience members are encouraged to bring a non-perishable item to help replenish the pantry’s shelves and support local neighbors in need this holiday season.
For more information on the Moorestown Community Band, visit www.moorestowncommunityband.com.
