Alexpress FOR ALEXANS BY ALEXANS SINCE 1967 AcclAim for Alex Autumn festivAl By Kristen van der Westhuizen
Saturday 15 March brought great excitement and a buzz in Alex’s widely talented music department, as this marked the date for the Autumn Festival. This annual Festival showcases all aspects of the music department, from the choir to the three different bands and the orchestra. Preparation for the concert began with band rehearsal weekend – held in the last week of January. Full steam ahead, the music department prepared themselves for two matinees, which were held on the Thursday and Friday morning before the big night. Thursday’s matinee was performed for primary school students from various feeder schools around Port Elizabeth and the second matinee was held for Alex’s Grade 8s and 9s. Both matinees were enormously successful and were thoroughly enjoyed by the audiences. The evening of 15March was the highlight for the members of the music department as they were able to show the audience the product of all their hard work and effort. The hall was packed to capacity with all the Alex staff members and their partners and, of course, the musicians’ families and friends. Whether musical or not, the audience was filled with enthusiasm and generous applause, encouraging the musicians as they entered and exited the hall. A moving performance by the Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mr JF Viljoen showed off the diversity of their string section, as they jumped from mellow to frantic and majestic to boisterous pieces. Then the award-winning Alex choir continued the programme by performing four magical, diverse numbers including a famous traditional item which brought the crowd to a stand-still. The former Symphonic Sounds fused with the Wind Band to form the new, better- than-ever Wind Band, blowing the audience away with their impressive array of well-known pieces, including: Nimrod, Big Sky Overture and the Theme from Star Wars. The Big Band followed suit playing sophisticated and often atmospheric jazz songs, which included the groovy, fast tempo of the opener, String of Pearls – including a saxophone section solo; the jazzy Brass Roots; the bluesy They Done Me Wrong and the raucous Channel One Suite, which showcased a triumphant drum solo for Zikona Zweni. continued on pg 2
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