The NCSU Wind Ensemble performed a variety of pieces from different time periods and genres Thursday at Titmus Theatre.
The ensemble, conducted by Paul D. Garcia, director of bands for the N.C State music department, played pieces by composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Jonathan Cohen.
The performance sampled several genres, such as waltz, classical and ballet music and included renditions of famous pieces such as Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky.
The performance began with different instrument groups from the trombone choir, the flute choir, the saxophone choir and the tuba euphonium choir.
At the end of the showcase, the separate groups assembled and played a piece named Rocky Point Holiday originally composed by award-winning composer, Ron Nelson.
Zeke Overbaugh, a senior in plant biology, said he enjoyed how the performance was structured to introduce the different groups before playing a group piece.
“I thought it was neat how each group performed separately and then came together for a final performance” Overbaugh said.
According to Garcia, the performance was successful because students in the ensemble were willing to practice and improve during their free time.
“It wasn’t hard to get all the students together because they were all there because they wanted to there, and all I did was to help guide them a little bit,” said Garcia.
Garcia said he was worried about how the theatre’s structure would affect the performance’s sound quality, but the ensemble was prepared to play in a difficult environment.
According to Luke Hansen, a sophomore in paper science and member of the ensemble, Titmus was a tough but rewarding place to play because the sounds could be heard clearly by the audience.
“Before the show, our conductor told us that the sound of each individual instrument would be heard clearly by the audience, so if you made a mistake then everyone would be able to hear you” said Hansen.
Randall Rehfuss, a concert coordinator at N.C. State, said the performance went smoothly without any unexpected problems.
“Everything went smoothly, I really enjoyed the performance as a whole because it was well executed by the Ensemble” said Rehfuss.
