by Morgan Marinelli (2nd Horn)
For the members of the Chicago Staff Band, the weekend of November 9th and 10th was spent in La Crosse, WI. Upon arrival at the La Crosse Corps, the corps officers kindly received us with a delicious meal before we headed over to the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse to get ready for the evening concert.
The program featured pieces such as “In Awesome Wonder” by Marcus Venables, “Fearless” by Andrew Wainwright, and “Sabre Dance” by Aram Khachaturian, arranged by Harold Burgmayer. Another featured piece was “King of Heaven” by Kenneth Downie, which showcased each section of the band. The music itself is very exposed, which surely makes a second horn nervous, but we pulled it off (go horns!). Beth Malovance played her really cool, technologically enhanced solo entitled “Faith Pursuit” by Martin Cordner. Using a foot pedal and microphone, “echo” effects are added to her sound, painting a mysterious picture leading up to the beautiful melody of “He’s Always Been Faithful.” Another soloist that got his chance to shine was Zac Smith on the xylophone playing “The Comedian’s Galop.” The audience was surely entertained by his lightning-fast, incredibly intricate, and delightfully impressive performance.
A favorite part of the evening for me was the opportunity to sing “O Love” by Elaine Hagenberg. With Brett Tolcher featured on the trombone and Jenny Herndon accompanying on the piano, the CSB Chorus delivered these precious words:
O Love, that will not let me go
O Love, I rest my weary soul in thee
I give thee back the life I owe
That in thy ocean depths its flow
Will richer, fuller be.
This song is one of rest, of sacrifice, and of joy, and it is our hope that people felt that; I felt blessed to sing it.
It was wonderful to join the La Crosse Corps for worship on Sunday morning. Those in attendance surely felt the Spirit moving through the music that was played, as well as the powerful message given by our Executive Officer, Lt Colonel Phil Maxwell. We ended the service with a little jazz - “Big Little Light” by William Broughton, featuring improv solos by Tom Hanton, Isaac Leka, and Sam Leka. *Jazz hands*
Overall, it was wonderful to share the message of our music with the people of La Crosse, Wisconsin. All glory to God!