Lily McCabe
Sophia Parker, a fourth-year studying computer science, performs during the Symphonic Band Concert: From the Sky to the Stars, in Stewart Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. The concert featured performances of music from popular movies, along with a series of voiceover introductions, including one from an interview of Christina Koch.
The NC State Symphonic Band hosted its end-of-semester concert on Thursday, Nov. 9 in Stewart Theatre. The concert was themed “From the Sky to the Stars” and featured a program of space-themed songs for the hour-long performance.
Formed about six years ago, the Symphonic Band acts as not only a music group but as a class offered through the department of Performing Arts and Technology — open to all students interested in music and performance, no auditions required. The band consists of woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments.
For the undergraduate and graduate students who are a part of the band, the fall concert served as both a way to show off their skills to a packed theatre and as their final exam.
Allison Abel, a fifth-year master’s student studying computer science, returned for her fifth year in the Symphonic Band as a flute player.
“I’m not a hardcore flute player, and auditions would freak me out,” Abel said. “So I like that it’s go at your own pace. You don’t have to audition. Everyone’s welcome.”
The concert featured renditions of songs from popular franchises, including “Star Wars,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “ET.” The crescendo of the pieces was all the more impactful when you could feel the music in your chest from the roughly 100 students working in tandem to create the songs.
The concert was both an auditory and visual experience, with video clips of spaceships, movies and aliens flashing on the screen. The Symphonic Band also included a clip of NC State alum and current astronaut Christina Koch, recorded during her conversation with Chancellor Randy Woodson during Red & White Week.
Abel said Koch herself was an inspiration for the band to select the theme.
“So the last class last semester, we just started like spitballing ideas, and there are a few that we’ve gone around each semester, but space is one that we had talked about a lot,” Abel said. “And we decided this might be the time, especially with Christina [Koch]’s upcoming mission and knowing she’s an NC State alum. We’re like, ‘That would be a good way to pay homage.’”
MJ Brewer, a first-year studying human biology who watched the Symphonic Band for the first time at the concert, said the performance was well balanced.
“For a band you didn’t have to audition for, it’s really well balanced in my opinion,” Brewer said. “It was obviously people who cared, and you enjoyed what they were doing.”
The care for the show is truly what elevated it from a basic concert. Within the Symphonic Band, a roughly 20-person group of students acted as a committee for the show, selecting the pieces and designing the flow of the concert. Many of the pieces of the concert blended into each other to create an orchestral medley.
But how did the committee decide what pieces to select and where to cut them?
“Lots of trial and error,” Abel said. “So we get a whole bunch of music at the beginning of the semester, and we just kind of fiddle around with it. We cut a lot of songs, chop them up so that they flow nicely. … We think it just brings a new layer and kind of makes it more interesting to sit through an hour of a concert.”
The band is directed and instructed by Chris Branam, senior lecturer of performing arts and technology who has been involved in the band since its inception. For Abel, Branam is one of the highlights of being a part of the Symphonic Band.
“I think what makes the band the most unique is Branam,” Abel said. “The amount of care for each individual student, he knows so many of us by name, even in an ensemble of 100 people, that it’s probably the best part of the class. We always have a life lesson to learn. … He’s just such a great teacher and such a great mentor.”
The Symphonic Band holds a concert every fall and spring semester with a different theme. The spring 2024 performance theme is yet to be announced, but the concert will take place on April 18. When asked, Abel said the committee was still discussing possible themes for next spring, but one contender is “Around the World.”
The Symphonic Band is a passion project for many student performers on campus. With popular songs, engaging visuals and impressive performances, it’s no wonder the band brings in packed crowds to watch their concerts each semester.