More than a holiday chill filled the air when Thomas County Central High School Bands program held its annual Christmas concert. The school’s Gold and Blue bands, Jazz Ensemble and Dazzlers performed at the Donald Dalton Agriculture Pavilion located on campus Tuesday, Dec. 15.
Students began working on Christmas music immediately after October’s fall concert. They practiced during class and after school.
“What I enjoy most about playing Christmas music is how it makes me feel,” Blue and Jazz member Nicholas Hall said. “It makes me feel cheerful, and it gets everyone in the Christmas spirit.”
Sophomore Hailey Atkinson, a Blue band member and flutist, enjoys “Fantasy on Deck the Halls.”
“It is upbeat and fast-paced,” she said. “The piece goes outside the boundaries of what you would consider a traditional Christmas piece.”
Regina’s favorite selection was “Holiday Portraits,” a medley of Christmas songs in a harmonically and rhythmically advanced arrangement.
“At first, the students did not like it because it was so challenging, but now they are flying through it with ease,” he said. “It's a really neat take on some old favorites.”
Also, he likes conducting “The Polar Express.”
“It's probably the closest I will ever get to my childhood dream of being a train engineer,” Regina said.
Dazzlers performed to Kelly Clarkson’s version of “Christmas Eve,” a number coach Anne Marie Holland calls upbeat and fun.
“This piece has a lot of moving pieces and features solos and small groups to highlight the talent of [the] girls,” Holland said. “Every Christmas performance, I try to incorporate the same feeling and joy you get when you watch the Rockettes during Christmastime. So our performance will have some moves that have a Rockette-type feel while keeping it contemporary and classic.”
Because of the outside, open space, audience members could bring blankets or chairs and socially distance themselves comfortably.
“I'm very happy that our school system has a wonderful agriculture pavilion, and we are still able to have our concerts in a safe and socially distanced setting,” Regina said.