On February 14th, the ANS Concert Band hosted a Valentine’s Day themed concert.
The event took place in the Centro Cultural Pablo Antonio Cuadra, and lasted approximately one hour. The group of performers consisted of the members of the Concert Band, as well as four additional singers.
In contrast to the band’s previous events, this concert was planned, organized, and promoted by the band members themselves. They worked collaboratively and diligently in the weeks preceding the event, and in its delivery, it was a great success.
The repertoire consisted mostly of songs directly related to the theme of Valentine’s Day. The concert opened with a full-band performance of an arrangement of Mr. John Spiro’s: ”Romantic Pop Medley,” which combines Elvis Presley’s ”Can’t Help Falling in Love” with Ed Sheeran’s ”Perfect.” After this, things shifted on stage as the performers switched instruments and Eugenia Ayala was brought up to sing ”A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. Again, instruments were switched, and Eduardo Bendaña sang ”Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur. Then, Nydia del Carmen sang ”Once Upon a Dream” from the movie ”Sleeping Beauty.” Following these three vocal performances, the entirety of the band was brought back on stage, only now with bass and drums, for an explosive performance of the theme of ”The Incredibles.” The tone of the event switched back to romantic, as Fátima Martínez delivered a expressive saxophone performance of the 1946 version of Earl Brent’s ”Angel Eyes.” After, Claire Ketelhohn came up on stage—her first time performing with the band—and sang ”Fly Me to the Moon,” by Frank Sinatra. She was followed by Elinor Ketelhohn, who sang ”I Put a Spell on You” by Annie Lennox. The concert came to its end as the full band came back on stage and delivered a powerful and fast-paced performance of ”Take on Me” by A-Ha.
ANS Director General said of the event: ”I have been so impressed by the fine work of Mr. Spiro and his students and the improvement that they have made in my short time here is incredible. Their repertoire is quite broad ranging and their talent deep for such a small group of students.”
Through this event, the ANS Concert Band has demonstrated their great talent and potential. They will hold more concerts and will continue to improve in the future.
