By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
The young musicians of Moapa Valley High School performed a splendid spring concert on Monday, May 14 in the Ron Dalley Theatre. The concert spanned across four different ensembles from a swing jazz band all the way to a full symphony orchestra. By the end more than 160 students joined on the stage for an historic grand finale.
The MVHS Jazz Band started off the evening. The rhythms were driving and the tunes were catchy as MVHS Music teacher Kim Delgadillo kept time and brought in each of the different student soloists.
The first selection featured a florid piano solo by Aubrey Aikele, and saxophone solos by Zachary Anderson and Averee Widdison. Josh Lyon showed his improv skills in a solo in the next tune: “And Yet So Far.” Then he came back in West Coast Shuffle and was featured again, this time followed by trumpeter Yadon Witsken, Averee Widdison on tenor sax and Zach Anderson on bari sax.
The intermediate band took the stage next. They performed a colorful version of themes from Pixar movie, “The Incredibles.” Then they summed up the 70’s with a mash up of disco favorites in “Disco Lives.”
Next the Advanced Band entertained the audience with tunes from the Disney film “Hercules” followed by another blast-from-the-past medley “Music from Glee.”
The MVHS Symphony Orchestra came next playing “An American Landscape” by Soon Hee Newbold, and an arrangement of the Elvis classic “Can’t Help Falling In Love”.
At the end of each group, Delgadillo presented a number of awards to the students for their achievements and growth throughout the school year.
Some of these were national distinctions. The Louis Armstrong award went to Jazz Band musicians Zachary Anderson and Joshua Leavitt. For the band program, the national award was the John Philip Sousa. That distinction went to Zachary Anderson and Justin Henderson. The Patrick Gilmore award went to Lacey Johnson. Finally, in the orchestra program the National School Orchestra award was presented to violinist Emma Thompson.
To put a final flourish on the evening’s concert, all of the students crowded together once again on the stage for a final number. In a special salute to 100 Years of MVHS Pirates, all of the musicians joined together in one last performance of music from “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
