The California Lutheran University Wind Ensemble performed a concert in Samuelson Chapel on Friday, April 26. The event began at 7:30 p.m. and continued throughout the evening until 9:00 p.m. The performance featured a wide variety of pieces from Tchaikovsky’s 1880’s piece, “Capriccio Italien,” to Aaron Perrine’s 2012 piece, “Only Light.”
Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Music Michael Hart conducted and led the band throughout the evening.
“One of the great things about wind ensemble is that the students that are in there want to be there,” Hart said. “Some of them have been with us for four years, so I get to know them pretty well. It’s actually part of the job I enjoy the most, just getting to know our students and to hear what their dreams are, what they’re working on.”
Hart said that having students of both music majors and non-music majors brings an element of variety in the interpersonal aspect of the band, as he gets to learn from his students about certain areas of study he doesn’t specialize in.
Throughout the evening performance, Hart highlighted the graduating seniors who have been in the band during their time at Cal Lutheran.
Senior and alto saxophone player Magnus Carlon said that having this as one of his final performances with the band brought on a flurry of emotions. Carlon thanked both Hart as a mentor, as well as his family.
“I always loved performing, but I used to get really, really anxious. I still get anxious, but now that it’s kind of my last one, it’s more of a gratefulness to get to make music with all those guys,” Carlon said before the show began.
Senior and clarinetist Maia Sable shared a similar sentiment after the show closed.
“It’s such a feeling of accomplishment. Beforehand, I’m very anxious because I care. I really want to do well and give a great performance, but afterwards I feel very relaxed,” Sable said, after the show. “I feel like we achieved something altogether.”
Towards the beginning of the performance, Hart introduced senior and Trombonist Emma Halseth before allowing them to conduct the band through Andrew Boyson’s “Song for Lyndsay.” This was Halseth’s first time conducting a performance at Cal Lutheran.
“It was scary on a surface level, but as soon as I started remembering the musicians in front of me, I trusted them,” Halseth said. “Each and every one of them are absolutely fantastic, incredibly professional people, a joy to work with.”
Halseth said she was proud of the band for what they were able to accomplish, as they only had around a month to learn “Song for Lyndsay.”
“We actually introduced that piece to them just about a month and a half ago, and they turned it into that,” Halseth said. “I trust those musicians with my life.”
Halseth and Carlon are both music education majors, and Halseth has been teaching elementary and middle school music alongside being a student at Cal Lutheran. Each student musician expressed immense praise and gratitude towards Hart as a mentor through their creative and academic pursuits at Cal Lutheran.
“Shout out to Dr. Hart. He’s awesome. Honestly, he inspired me to become a music education major because I started in music production,” Carlon said. “He’s just been the greatest mentor since the switch.”
Hart said he tries to balance the band experience between high effort and rewarding for the students.
“I hope that rehearsals are enjoyable, I want them to work hard,” Hart said. “I also want them to come away feeling really positive.”
Students who are interested in joining the band at Cal Lutheran can email Hart at [email protected] for more information.
