A&E

Guest cellist impresses the audience

By Kelsi McKenzie

With dead week and finals on people’s minds, the End-of-the-Term Concert Tuesday attracted about 200 people to performances by three MHCC music groups.

The almost two-hour concert produced some fine performances and started with a few short pieces by the MHCC Orchestra and the Symphonic (concert) Choir. The band was much, much louder than the choir and but their hard work showed through. The singers were expertly placed in correct order as even the untrained ear could pull out who was singing with the deepest or highest voice.

The orchestra performed solo next and played together in sync. Of the several trumpets or the trombone players, they were all on the same beat.

A bonus with the orchestra performance was that they brought in a guest cellist to accompany them. The elderly Maestro Gerald Kagan walked onto the stage, moving stooped and slowly. When he sat with his cello and bow and played as if age didn’t matter and as if in his musical prime, the audience loved it.

He was the stereotypical cute, old guy playing chess with himself, in the Pixar clips, and really getting into it. His passion for playing transferred to the audience and the orchestra played off his enthusiasm.
At the end of the performance, Kagan was cheered onto the stage twice to bow for the never-ending applause of the audience.

The Symphonic Band (Concert Band) came on with a bang, literally. They were banging the cymbals together. In a small auditorium the music really took flight. With such a variety of instruments, it was impressive to see how well the students played off each other.