The Berthoud High School Jazz and Orchestra groups put on a remarkable performance on Thursday, October 6th, in the BHS auditorium. The BHS Orchestra was first on the stage, and the audience had the chance to meet the newest member of the music team, Alex Ward. For the past three years, the orchestra was taught by Sean Hedding, who joined Berthoud High School in 2019. After Ward joined the team, the orchestra flourished, and we have the most recent performance to show that. Their performance consisted of two different songs, Dies Irae: Fantasia and Danse Macabre, both soothing yet exciting in their ways. Dies Irae: Fantasia started with a bold and ominous sound. The high and low voices in the orchestra worked together to create something truly memorable for the audience. The second song, Danse Macabre, started with a quiet and soothing melody when it turned back into an ominous and exciting sound. Overall, their performance was a great way to kick off the year.

“Wonderful,“ says BHS junior Phoebe Jones. “I really liked the music selection and the orchestra sounds so much better this year.”

After the orchestra’s stunning performance, It was the jazz band’s time to shine. The jazz bands are split by skill level into Jazz One (advanced) and Jazz Two (intermediate). Jazz two was first on the stage, and each student contributed in their creative way. Under the direction of Sean Hedding, each student had to improvise a solo. Solos are a big part of the BHS Jazz concerts, but improvised solos are not as expected. Even through this nerve-racking experience, the musicians prevailed to give the audience members and me a fantastic performance. C

To conclude an already successful night, it was the advanced jazz’s turn to wow the crowd. Like most concerts, the jazz band gets people’s feet tapping, but there was something unique about their show. For their performance of the Girl from Ipanema by famous singer Frank Sinatra, the jazz band welcomed a special guest to the stage. Playing the lead trumpet part, (Name) accompanied the jazz by playing a beautiful solo for the entirety of the song.  

“I think the jazz band is amazing and they are very musically talented,” said senior Destiny Segovia. “The guest soloists were super good. Definitely going to another concert.“ 

Currently the BHS Jazz and Orchestra are working hard to create yet another mind blowing performance to remember. The music program works very hard to create memorable experiences and appreciates the support from their audience members.