RHS Bands Perform Annual Winter Concert on December 7

Ridgewood NJ, On Wednesday, December 7, the Ridgewood High School Bands will perform their annual Winter Concert in the RHS Campus Center, beginning 8 p.m. This concert will feature the school’s three curricular bands – the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble. Admission is free.

The Symphonic Band, under the direction of John Luckenbill and Jeffrey Haas, will perform Of Time and Change by James Swearingen, a well-established hymn with many joyful themes and expressive sections, and Sundance by Carl Strommen, which is a programmatic piece depicting a day on the prairie.

The RHS Concert Band, also led by Luckenbill and Haas, will present Carnegie Anthem by William Owens, Canticles by James Curnow, and Lords of Greenwich by Robert Sheldon. Carnegie Anthem pays tribute to the renowned Carnegie Hall and the bustling metropolis of New York City, while Canticles is a piece designed to uplift the spirit and enthusiasm of any listener. Lords of Greenwich, inspired by Gustav Holst, is written and performed in the style of a British folk song.

Finally, under the baton of Jeffrey Haas, the RHS Wind Ensemble will perform Beltway Jam by Jack Stamp, Robert W. Smith’s arrangement of Gustav Holst’s In the Bleak Midwinter, and The Hounds of Spring by Alfred Reed. Beltway Jam is a piece with an exciting melody and an overall engaging feel. In the Bleak Midwinter is based on a poem by the same name, and became a Christmas carol after many different musicians put the poem to music. One of the versions, written by Gustav Holst, was arranged by Robert Smith, and will be performed at this concert.  The last piece to be performed will be The Hounds of Spring, which Alfred Reed composed to convey the youthful delight of love and tenderness.

The Ridgewood High School Band Program is Bergen County’s largest, comprised of more than 230 students who participate in no fewer than 15 varied musical ensembles.  The curricular bands, marching band, jazz ensembles, chamber ensembles, winter color guard and twirlers have been acclaimed locally, regionally, and nationally for superior performance.  Individually, members of the Ridgewood High School Bands are chosen annually to perform in honor ensembles at the county, regional, and state levels.