Groups gather for Band-o-Rama; Friday concert brings 400 musicians

• Tweet
• 

Parents and fans of CMU bands piled into Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium Saturday night in anticipation of the third annual Band-o-Rama.

The show featured all three of the School of Music’s major concert bands and the Chippewa Marching Band. About 400 musicians filled the stage throughout the event.

“Tonight is the first concert performance for symphony band,” said Clarkston junior Kirsten Rogers. “It’s always fun to play in Warriner Hall.”

While it was the first performance for symphony band, the night also held the last performance of the season for the Chippewa Marching Band, which began the show with a march down the aisles of the auditorium.

“We definitely carried in some of the energy from (Friday’s) game,” said Yale senior Ashley Wolfe, who plays the tenor saxophone. “We are affected by wins just like the football team is.”

The show at Plachta had a distinct feel from the marching band’s usual stadium performances.

“When we are compact up on the stage like that, there is a lot of energy and it can be pretty intense,” said Farmington Hills junior Spencer Haworth. “We got a pretty good response from the crowd, though. I think it went well.”

The Marching Chips played an eclectic set of music consisting of a combination of three of their usual live sets. They played music ranging from artists such as Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Beethoven and even Lady Gaga. They also played classic standbys like the CMU fight song.

Many of the Marching Chips will find themselves with a lot of extra time on their hands now that their season has finished.

“I will have time to study now, or maybe have a life,” Haworth said, laughing.

Some students like Kawkawlin freshman Gabriel Deyarmond, will shift their musical focuses from the football field to the concert hall.

“I will be practicing for concert season,” Deyarmond said. “We have a concert near the end of November.”

For many seniors this was the last performance in their Marching Band careers.

“Our group gets along really well.” Holly junior Tim Hadley said. “It’s sort of like a brotherhood, I will definitely miss it.”