On Saturday, January 20, 35 members of the Fossil Ridge High School band performed in the Northern Colorado Honor Band at Fort Collins High School. The Northern Colorado Honor Band hosted members from nine different schools from the Poudre School District, Thompson Valley School District, and Windsor High School.

The event consisted of a recorded audition to determine acceptance into the program. Out of 340 people that auditioned into the event, 130 people were accepted. After practicing for several months, they began practicing at Collins and Fossil on January 18 and 19 for about eight hours, as well as rehearsals Saturday morning at Fort Collins.

The performance hosted two ensembles, a symphonic band and a wind ensemble. The Symphonic Band was conducted by Dr. Gerard Morris, music professor at the University of Puget Sound school of music. According to Nathan Parker, a trombone player in the Symphonic Band, said, “Mr. Morris was very charismatic. He was more focused on what the students wanted to do versus what he wanted to do.”  The Symphonic Band played Early Light  by Carolyn Bremer, Sheltering Sky by John Mackey, The Greek Folk Song Suite by Franco Cesarini, and Dance of the Jesters by Peter Tchaikovsky. “My favorite piece was the Greek Folk Song suite because it was fast and it had a lot of quick and engaging passages,” said Parker. The Wind Ensemble, the more elite band, was conducted by Dr. Donald McKinney, the Director of Bands and Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. According to Arnold Pfahnl, “Dr. McKinney really fleshed out the nuances of the pieces. He was very to the point, and I think we got a lot done because of him.” The Wind Ensemble played Luminescence by David Beidenbender, Bloom by Steven Bryant, “Apollo Unleashed” from Symphony #2 by Frank Ticheli, and The Klaxon by Henry Fillmore. “I really liked the Apollo Unleashed because I enjoyed the intricate harmonies, especially the B octave rip at the very end,” added Pfahnl.

Members of the Fossil Band will be a part of the Colorado All-State Orchestra on February 8-10. Come support the band at this event at the Colorado State University Center of the Arts.