Distractions disturb band performance

What do you get when you combine a class of musically inclined and careered focused performers with a predominantly student audience? The answer: a less than appropriate respect for dedication.

An evening with the University Band after a laborious week seems like the perfect way to treat any music enthusiast let alone anyone purely interested in the arts. Judging by the amount of people who showed though, broadening our perspectives didn’t seem like a priority nor was it something taken seriously.

Walking into the belly of Aycock Theatre, a wave of fumbling chimes and hums washed over as audience members took their seats. When the time came for the performance to begin, the first chair clarinet began with middle C to tune the rest of the band. Lead by conductor Andrea E. Brown, the band started the evening with Sir Malcom Arnold’s The Padstow Lifeboat March, Op. 94. Like a victory march down Main Street with the flag of our Forefathers rippling in the wind, the piece had a certain kick of prowess and honor.

Following the march was Robert Sheldon’s Art in the Park in four movements. Menacing, like approaching the climax of battle, the theatre shook from the blare of horns and trumpets, raising goose bumps along the skin. The second movement brought vision to an unknown land of crashing waterfalls and meadows of rolling grass in the breeze. Unfortunately, the peace that came with this movement was shattered by a cell phone going off within the last measures.

Though the sound of the cell phone was disappointing and rude, the audience managed to provide even more distractions. Fidgety children wiggled their way out of their parents grasp, weaving in and out of the seats. Whispers drowned out the brilliant clarity the performers produced out of thin air. One audience member struggled to silence her children who were forcing coughs just because she cleared her throat once before.

After a ten minute intermission, conductor Brown returned and began the second half with Epinicion, composed by John Paulson. Enchanting and alluring with an opening flute solo, the piece took a jump into the rabbit hole, crashing into a pile of brass and wood. Despite the chaos of the music, it was considerably organized; typical for the world we had dropped into.

While most seemed engrossed in the lulling and surprisingly relaxing tones of the evening, select few members of the audience found the light flickering buttons of their phones to be more entertaining. On the last page of the program passed out is a note on concert etiquette, asking to “Please turn off all cellular phones.”

Angela Hairston, a freshman on the flute, has been playing for nine years. She was not impressed by the audience’s conduct, making mention of the cell phone that had sounded out early into the evening. Overall, she found the performance to be good, though there were some issues. “I think most of our problems came from over excitement, which can be good, but also bad.”

Anita Cranford, UNCG Class of 1975, visited Aycock Theatre to see her son, Casey, perform on the saxophone. She thought the show was “very energetic” and enjoyed it thoroughly. The performance was entertaining and lively, though it may have been more pleasurable if the audience had followed the etiquette request.