Windsock

An Update on Touring Choir

Auditions for the most prestigious choir at EMHS are finally over. Nerves are dying down, but there is still pressure on those who made it. In preparation for upcoming shows and events for touring choir, songs must be learned and memorized.

Touring choir’s first performance will be during an afternoon service at VMRC. The choir sang there last year; the residents enjoyed it so much that they invited the choir back. The director, Jay Hartzler, hopes that by the time of the first performance 10 songs will be learned. The next time touring choir will be singing in public is senior parent weekend; it will be the weekend following the performance at VMRC.

The choir is working hard to achieve their goal of learning 25 songs by the time they leave for their one week trip to Puerto Rico in the spring. “I’m impressed with the sight reading,” Hartzler said. Sight reading is a valuable skill in learning new songs. Because of this and dedication, the choir will undoubtedly reach their goal.

-Samantha Rimer

EmptySet Continues EMS Band Tradition

Several thousand people attended Creation Northeast, a popular Christian music festival, in 2007. Among the crowds were current EMHS seniors Benson Hostetter and Chris Oberholtzer, and sophomore Nathaniel Oberholtzer. Little did they know that the four-day festival would change their lives.

Inspired by the music at Creation Northeast, Benson, Chris, and Nathaniel started an alternate pop-punk band that is now known as EmptySet. Soon, they played their first concert at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church.  They were immediately off to a rocky start. “We were terrible…I started with my guitar out of tune, we messed up a ton, and sang out of tune,” guitarist Chris Oberholtzer recalled.

Choir Travels to MSC

One distinct characteristic of Mennonites is their ability to sing in beautiful four-part harmony. This talent was put to good use last weekend at the Mennonite Schools Council’s music festival. The Eastern Mennonite High School Touring Choir participated in the three-day event, which included choirs from 16 different Mennonite schools from across the United States and Canada. All 550 students came together in Kitchener, Ontario at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate. These students participated in one mass choir, and practices for that group took up the majority of the weekend’s time, although there were plentiful snack breaks and times for mingling.

The festival’s theme, “I Can Tell the World,” was taken from the title of one of the mass choir’s pieces. The concert included seven songs by the mass choir, one song performed by each of the individual choirs, and the famous hymn 606. It took place in the Centre in the Square, a building known for its wonderful acoustics. The concert on Sunday night was a great success. Tickets were sold out, and the spacious performing hall was full to capacity. Rhianna Cockrell, a junior, was a participant in this event. She spoke highly of the bus ride, the friends, and the festival overall, but she said, “The music created by such a large group of passionate, talented musicians topped anything else I could have experienced at that festival.”

This year marked the 48th anniversary of the MSC annual concerts. During those numerous years, the festival has grown to an overwhelming size, causing it to divide into two separate festivals every other year. Next year in 2011, one half of the festival, including EMHS’s choir, will meet at Academia Menonita in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while the other will meet at a school on the West coast. The juniors in EMHS’s current Touring Choir are anxiously anticipating their next opportunity to be a part of this exceptional event.

- Melissa Jantzi

Orchestra Travels to Christopher Dock

EMHS orchestra members began to assemble last Thursday before the sun had risen. Students sleepily threw bags where they belonged and found a place to store their instrument. The bus rolled up to Christopher Dock at twelve (It had been around a four hour trip) and students eagerly piled out. MSC had begun.

MSC is an annual two day festival during which our sister schools’ orchestras join to play together. It’s a chance to hear the powerful sound of a large orchestra and a chance to meet new people. “It’s my favorite event of year. I just like being able to go somewhere when it's away, the chance to meet new people and experiencing something different than normal school,” said Malinda Bender, a junior. For most of the trip the strings played in the theater (a stage made for small dramas) while the band played on the main stage.  Practices were very long and the much appreciated breaks few, but many said that even though they didn’t like it that way, the length was necessary.

“It was a lot of practice, but the concert sounded amazing and made the all the preparation worthwhile,” said junior Melissa Jantzi.  After two days of continuous practice the students gathered in their white and black concert attire to perform the songs for a concert. The band played three songs, including an arranged version of shaker hymns and an exhilarating song called Gypsy Dance.  The strings also played three songs, including Brandenburg Concerto and Carmen Suite. Then the orchestra played the last song, (my favorite) the riveting Jupiter: bringer of jollity.  After the festival concluded and we had said our good-byes we piled onto the bus and headed home.

- Kathleen Leigh

Voces8 Wows EMS

It isn’t every day that British accents are heard at Eastern Mennonite School, or names such as “Dingle” or “Barney” spoken. On Tuesday, March 2, EMS was graced with a concert performed by an internationally known a capella group from England, Voces8. The group consisting of six men and two women arrived in Harrisonburg late Sunday night on their tour of the United States.   

The members of Voces8 were greeted warmly in chapel on Monday morning. “One boy came up before the chapel began and wanted our autographs,” said Emily Dickens, one of the sopranos. Voces8 has won numerous awards at vocal competitions across Europe, and also performed at the American Choral Directors Association conference in the U.S., where they were “discovered” by EMS choir director Jay Hartzler. On Monday and Tuesday the group worked with EMS choirs. On Tuesday afternoon they held a special workshop in the auditorium for Touring and Chamber choirs as well as a group of choral students from Fort Defiance High School. 

EMS students thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working with a professional vocal group in addition to hearing them in concert. “I enjoyed having them around very much,” said junior Victoria Clymer. “Their focus and passion for music really inspired me along with their talent. I’m going to miss them!” Several students also attended the groups' “sound check” or practice a few hours before the evening performance.  Christophe Langouet, also a junior stated, “It was really interesting to see how they rehearsed...mostly the musicality – vowels, crescendos, decrescendos.” After attending the evening concert he thought it was neat “seeing them perform the piece, not just sing the notes.” 

Pieces in Tuesday's performance included works from the Italian Renaissance to themes from James Bond.  A crowd favorite was “Steal Away,” featuring bass soloist Dingle Yandell. According to the Voces8 ladies, Andrea and Emily, Dingle is also the heartthrob of many a school girl at their master classes and concerts.  Their performance was enjoyed by all ages. When asked if she liked the concert, a sixth grade student paused and emphatically stated, “I loved it!”

- Malinda Bender

"Mennorock" No Longer an Oxymoron

Last Friday, Eastern Mennonite University hosted the first ever Mennorock concert, an event which combined musical talent from EMHS, EMU and even Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The concert took place in EMU’s Mainstage Theater, a venue more accustomed to dramatic plays rather than hosting high school rockers. Yet Friday evening, EMU’s Campus Activities Committee transformed the Mainstage Theater into a bona fide rock venue, complete with a thin layer of smoke drifting among the stage lights (from a smoke machine of course), and high school groupies handing out glow sticks. Concertgoers milled about in front of the stage or claimed their seats in the stands, anticipating the genesis of Mennorock 2010.

A little after seven, the spotlights cut off, leaving a single blacklight to illuminate the stage. Two ghostly figures snuck on stage, grabbed their guitars and began strumming the Mission Impossible theme. Once the other band members were in place, the stage lights flashed on and flooded the room with light as the first band, Emptyset, laid into their first number. Emptyset (comprised of Benson Hostetter, Chris Oberholtzer, Eric King, and Nathaniel Oberholtzer) kicked off Mennorock with fast-paced favorites such as the Emptyset original “Vampires & Werewolves” and the ever popular Pokémon Theme Song with guest vocalist/Pokéfan, Bryce Yoder.

Following Emptyset was Prevail, another EMHS band made up of seniors Philip Yoder, Logan Stoltzfus, Ashton Pease and Everett Brubaker. Feeding off the energy generated by Emptyset, Prevail continued to pump up the audience with original songs as well as covers. Prevail bassist Ashton Pease said, “We chose to cover the Black Eyed Peas to get everybody pumped.”  Their technique certainly worked.  Throughout the concert, fans crowded the stage, jumping up and down to the energizing sounds of electric guitars. Following Prevail was the rock group Heroic Skies all the way from Lancaster, PA. EMU’s Vineyard 55 closed the evening with a set of songs from their hip-hop/rock repertoire.

The idea for Mennorock began with Elwood Yoder, father of Prevail guitarist/singer Philip Yoder. Realizing the amount of local musical talent, Mr. Elwood Yoder began to plan out what would eventually become Mennorock 2010. “Elwood really pushed for it and made everything happen” said Ashton Pease, who hopes to see Mennorock continue. “We had such a good turnout,” said Pease, “it would be awesome to see what next year has to hold, [to] come back and play or just enjoy the music and see what there is.”

- Andrew Hostetter

Lunasa Performs at EMHS

On Tuesday evening people from all around came together for a time of superb music at the EMHS auditorium. Lunasa, a “traditional Irish music supergroup,” is a group that has been together since 1997. They have recorded seven CDs, the latest of which came out in March 2008. 

This group consists of five musicians. There is Seàn Smyth who plays the fiddle, Kevin Crawford who plays the flute, Trevor Hutchinson who plays the bass, Cillian Vallely who plays the uillean pipes, and Paul Meehan who plays the guitar. 

Jay Hartzler first invited Lunasa to perform at EMHS two years ago. He had heard them play at both EMU and Court Square Theater and loved their sound. He said, “It’s a pretty typical kind of Irish music, but I just like the feel and the style that they play.” This was the third time that they have performed at EMHS; however, they have played a total of five or six times in Harrisonburg combined.

Approximately 300 people came to the concert on Tuesday, which was a slight disappointment since during the last two years when Lunasa came the auditorium was packed. The decreased sales could have been due to the concert being on a weekday instead of over a weekend when more people like to go out.

The money raised from this concert went towards the fund for the EMHS Touring Choir travel. Hartzler is beginning to think about hosting another concert at EMHS at the same time of year next school year. He would like to have Lunasa be the performers at this concert, but it is difficult to have the timing fit into Lunasa’s travel schedule.

For more information about Lunasa or to hear some of their music visit their official website at http://www.lunasa.ie or their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/lunasaofficial.

- Melissa Jantzi

Eisley: A Music Review

“He was throwing grain into the ground below, ground below with dreary circles of his arm, going slow, very slow, his cap pulled down ‘round his ears to hide the smile and watery tears…”

So begins track one (‘Memories’) of twelve from Room Noises, the debut album of one of my favorite bands of all time, Eisley.

Eisley, an indie rock band, is comprised of five members of the DuPree family from Tyler, Texas: four siblings and a cousin. Chauntelle plays guitar and does some backup vocals, Weston is the drummer, Garron plays bass, and Sherri and Stacy are the two lead vocalists. They both play guitar as well and Stacy plays the keyboard.

Eisley’s unmistakable trait is their hauntingly beautiful vocals and ethereal harmonies. My mom is on the verge of forbidding me from playing Eisley in the car because “Those girls lull me to sleep,” she claims.

“I really like the 'unordinary' sound that they have to them,” Kelsey Blosser from the sophomore class commented. “Most modern vocalists are beginning to sound a lot alike, but the girls in Eisley have very distinct voices. The harmony is amazing and really adds to the songs.”

Melissa Jantzi, also a sophomore, described their sound as “refreshing.”

“Their voices seem almost effortless as they clearly and beautifully let their verses flow into choruses and really feel their melodies and lyrics,” she explained.

Another unique attribute: Eisley’s bizarre, but beautiful, lyrics (e.g. “I cut the moon in half and stuck a piece to my hair. It made the back of my head glow golden yellow.”).

“[The lyrics] take some thinking to actually understand them, and they aren't cliché songs. They are intriguing and really catchy to sing along to!”

I have never come across anyone who doesn’t like Eisley. They either know them and adore them, or have never heard of them. Give them a listen if you haven’t already! Just a few of my favorite songs include ‘Golly Sandra’, ‘Brightly Wound’, ‘Come Clean’, ‘Invasion’, and ‘Many Funerals’.

Eisley has released two CDs, Room Noises and Combinations, from Reprise Records, as well as several EPs.

- Gennie Kirk

Joseph Morra Visits EMHS

After a Monday of short and mixed up classes, the school day at EMHS ended with a musical assembly by Joseph Morra. Although he was first introduced as the uncle to Vincent Morra, a senior, and Nathaniel Morra, a sophomore, he turned out to be much more than that alone. 

Joseph Morra first began to play piano when he was four years old, and had his first piano teacher when he was seven. “I’ve never had a point where I didn’t enjoy playing [piano],” he said. “There were only points when I didn’t enjoy practicing.” Along with the piano Morra can also play guitar, bass, drums, and violin, although not as well as the piano. Morra does not consider himself to have any one favorite genre of music. “There are days when classical music is all I’m really interested in playing, and there’s other days where there’s nothing better than sitting down and just banging out some pop tunes.”

Joseph Morra performed in concerts fairly regularly for ten years earlier in his life. However, after that time he decided to go back to school to become a lawyer. Now his occupation is being an attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington. At this time he considered himself to be pretty much retired from performing, so when Vincent Morra asked him to perform at EMHS it was a very welcome surprise.

Along with being an attorney Morra also is the founder of a nonprofit organization called the Boomerang Fund for Artists. “What we do is keep our eyes and ears open for really interesting talented artists of all genres that have already demonstrated a certain tenacity for living the life of an artist.” Once a worthy artist is found this fund unexpectedly sends them a check and lets them know that they support the work that they are doing, and really want to see them continue. 

Morra’s advice for students interested in a career in music is that, “They have to be very dedicated to their craft.” He recognizes that there is a tremendous amount of competition in this field and artists must work extremely hard to stand out. Being an artist also takes a certain mindset, which involves accepting that a lot of how their career unfolds is not under their control. “It can be very, very rewarding, and it can also be frustrating at times. You have to be prepared for all of the ups and all of the downs.”

Joseph Morra would like for EMHS to know how much he appreciated being able to perform for the school during this assembly and thanks all of the students, faculty, and parents who attended.

- Melissa Jantzi

High School Honors Choir Road Trip

Two days off school, a road trip, and sleeping in college dorms are all just pieces of the unique experience that seven EMHS students had in Goshen, Indiana this November. On the morning of Thursday November 14th, Annie Brunk, Allen Carter, Janelle Dean, Brook Hostetter, Rose Jantzi, Matt Layman, and James Souder loaded themselves into a van and set off for Goshen for a weekend of the High School Honors Choir. After a long day of traveling and getting settled in at the college the students got a good night’s sleep to prepare them for the next day of practicing. 

There were 13 different high schools from 5 different states that were invited to this event. The students had received the music for their songs ahead of time, and were all brought together under the direction of Vance George who is recognized as “one of America’s leading choral directors.” Also a part of this event were the Goshen College Combined Choirs and the Toledo Symphony.

When the students weren’t practicing they had the chance to experience college life at Goshen by sleeping in the dorms and meeting the professors. Brook Hostetter, a senior, said that, “The Music Professors especially made a good impression on me because they seemed to really be interested in me as a person, and possibly a future student at Goshen.”

The concert that included the High School Honors Choir, the Goshen College Combined Choirs, and the Toledo Symphony was held on the evening of Saturday, November 15. The pieces that the High School Choir sang were Mass in G Major by Franz Schubert, “Somewhere” from West Side Story, and “Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide. James Souder, a senior and a bass, sang a solo in the piece Mass in G Major.

For Brook this was a very good experience, and she recommends it to others as well. “My only suggestion is that others really know the music before they get there. The director really expected us to know our music,” she said. However, the event was a great opportunity for these students to meet new people, experience college life at Goshen, and simply to be a part of making some beautiful music.

- Melissa Jantzi