As we near the end of October, we begin to reach the end of the first month of concerts here at The University of North Dakota. Musicians on campus have a busy schedule as they are seemingly always performing, but the month of October is an especially busy time for these students as the many ensembles, consisting of different bands, orchestras, and choirs, continue to prepare for their concerts.
The season came swiftly at the start of the month on October 5th with the Chamber Orchestra kicking off the start of the concerts held in the Josephine Campbell Recital Hall. They gave their performance under the direction of Dr. Alejandro Drago with the program including the works of Handel, Haydn, Warlock, and Respighi.
Just 5 days later, the University Band and Wind Ensemble gave their first performance of the year in the Chester Fritz Auditorium. This performance was under the direction of Dr. James Popejoy and featured a wide range of music, both old and contemporary pieces. Along with this, it should be mentioned that UND’s Pride of the North athletic band has been performing at games and events all semester long and they will continue to put on impressive performances.
The choirs at UND have had a busy month. On Sunday, October 15th, the Allegro Choir, Varsity Bards, and Goliards had their first performance of the year in the Josephine Campbell Recital Hall. The Allegro Choir, directed by Ms. Melanie Popejoy, took the audience on a journey through various pieces. While the Goliards and Bards, under the direction of Dr. Isaac Lovdahl, brought the audience on a completely different journey. The Concert Choir and Enöxa also had their first performance just last weekend on October 22nd where they performed a variety of pieces ranging from all different time periods. From the romantic era to more contemporary works.
This is just the beginning of the wonderful series of performances coming from the students of UND. Performances are always happening here on campus and if you are interested, you just have to go look for them. Student showcases and guest performances are happening all the time along with large ensemble performances. To stay up to date on these events, you can visit the UND Music website.
As we prepare to enter the month of November, we can look ahead to what is to come from our music students. Different showcases will continue to happen along with recitals from the percussion ensemble, the trombone choir, holiday themed performances from different ensembles, and maybe the biggest event of them all, the Winter WUNDerland event happening on December 2nd, right before the end of the semester.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
