Millburn Middle School Winter Concerts Slated for Next Week

Millburn Middle School will host their annual Winter Instrumental Music Concerts on Tuesday, Jan. 13 and Wednesday, Jan. 14. Both concerts are free to the public and will begin at 7 p.m. in Millburn Middle School’s auditorium.

Tuesday’s concert will feature students in the Orchestras, Wind Ensemble, and Eighth Grade Concert Band. Students in the Sixth Grade Concert Band, Seventh Grade Concert Band, and Jazz Band will be highlighted on Wednesday evening.

Mrs. Marie Tracy will lead the orchestra program on Tuesday evening with a variety of music for both strings and full orchestra.

The Sixth Grade Orchestra will be performing Beethoven’s famous “Ode to Joy.” The Seventh and Eighth Grade Orchestra program will perform Haydn’s “The Heavens are Telling.”

The middle school’s premiere string ensemble, the Select Strings, will be performing Bach’s famous “Gavotte-Rondo.” Meanwhile, the full Symphonic Orchestra will entertain audiences with Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.”

Even more talented middle school performers will be featured on Wednesday night, with performances by the school’s wind bands. The Eighth Grade Band will perform “Three Ayres from Gloucester,” a work from composer Hugh Stuart, and Todd Stalter’s “Counterbalance.”

Mrs. Adrienne Blossey will lead the Eighth Grade Band in their performance. The Wind Ensemble, which recently earned a fifth straight Gold Rating at last year’s North Jersey Middle School Concert Band Festival, will play a challenging selection entitled “Ascend” by Samuel Hazo. Mr. Brian Fleming will also lead the Wind Ensemble in a creative piece entitled “Sweet Like That.”

On Wednesday evening, the Sixth Grade Band, under the direction of Mr. Fleming, will be performing a diverse program of music. Included in this performance is “Incantation and Ritual,” an exciting piece from composer Brian Balmages, and “Celebration for Winds,” written by composer John Edmondson.

The Seventh Grade Band, conducted by Mrs. Blossey, will perform “On the Mall” by Edwin Franko Goldman, as well as a wonderful selection by Chris Bernotas entitled “Air and Jig.” The middle school’s talented Jazz Ensemble will finish the concert by playing “April in Paris,” a jazz standard, and Dizzy Gillespie’s “Manteca.”