Warm music kicks off the cold season

A chaotic hum of tuning fills the student Center Ballroom. It’s 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, and the Community Symphonic Band is spread out before a full audience. The musical melee stills to silence, and the crowd follows suit. Out of the quiet, one musician plays a single note. The other members of this amazing machine take up the call – all hum out the note in unison – like a child taking its first step, they prepare for a symphonic marathon.

The concert is divided into two sections, the community band followed by the wind symphony, both directed by Adam Lambert, Associate Professor of Music.

The audience is pleasantly diverse, toting filled seats and a variety of attendees. They range from the white heads of seniors, to one little girl, who, after the first song, decides to run up and congratulate her mother, a primary flutist.

As the complex discussion between sounds ensues, the musicians’ jewel movements bring every instrument alive, levers moving like the insides of a masterfully-crafted clock.

You can feel the warmth in the room. Everyone in the room is a performer’s friend or peer, neighbor or classmate. As the weather cools outside, the ballroom fills with the performers’ warming harmonies and the audience’s bright applause as they support Chadron’s talented musicians.

The two groups play many pieces they had previously featured at the Centennial Concert, including “Washington Post” by John Phillip Sousa and “Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss.

According to Derek Phelps, 18, freshman of Sydney, “They improved tremendously from when I saw them last at the centennial.”  He goes on to describe the performance as “wonderful,” as he explains his shock at the musical improvement.

A special composition finishes off the community band’s montage, with Dr. Lambert donning a theatrical black cape in preparation.

Lambert explains that the band members lobbied for this dramatic piece, as it lends the show a Halloween feel.

“May the force be with you.” Lambert says, before raising his baton.

The iconic Star Wars theme, “The Empire Strikes Back,” rings through the ballroom. The community band handles the lengthy piece excellently.

Halting right in the middle of the song, Lambert pulls a Darth Vader mask from his bag, and the band continues, this time with the dark Sith Lord directing.

This prompts laughter and applause from the audience, which continues when Lambert  faces the audience during the classic Darth Vader march.

On that high note, the community band files out to be replaced with their wind symphony counterparts.

The second half of the performance, which showcases the wind symphony’s talent, is composed of excellent musical control and clarity. The music possesses a clean, soft value, which contrasts against the mighty reverberations that comprise the songs’ climaxes.

The last piece they play fits Lambert’s description well, which he posited as “a doozie”: “Sonoran Desert Holiday” written by Ron Nelson. The musicality merits the standing ovation which follows.

Dr. Lambert, when asked about the evening says, “Concerts are really a celebration of all their hard work. I’m thrilled with their performance; they really roasted the occasion.”

After the constant drive of school, it is a luxury to bathe in the music. Many audience members close their eyes and lean back, the tension visibly melting away. Others brandish video cameras, recording every note for family posterity.