By PETE FONTAINE
If you’d like to hear some extraordinary musical works, plan on being inside the Johnston High School Auditorium tonight anytime after 6:30 p.m. for what promises to be the best holiday concert in recent memory.
The award winning JHS Music Department will hold its annual Christmas Concert, a holiday happening that will feature the Ron Lamoureux-directed band, Matt Gingras led Concert Chorus and Select Choir as well as the talents of Amy Gingras’ Concert Chorus from North Providence High School.
Moreover, people who take in tonight’s concert when the first notes will be sung starting at 7 o’clock, will see and hear some of the number one ranked student musicians in Rhode Island.
“We’re really looking forward to sharing our efforts with everyone this Thursday [tonight],” said Lamoureux, who has the entire JHS Music Department operating at its highest level ever. “We recently received the results from the Rhode Island Music Education Association [RIMEA] All-State auditions and our kids did very, very well.”
So well, in tact, Johnston had a record number of 15 students land prestigious All-State honors with three students landing number one rankings and two others being ranked number two.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the efforts of all our kids that auditioned,” Lamoureux said. “It takes major courage to stand before the judge and perform these really difficult audition pieces.”
Benjamin Budway, for example, was so impressive during his audition he not only received a number one ranking, he is the top clarinet player in the state.
“The sheer numbers of excellent clarinet players is staggering,” Lamoureux said. “Then there’s the bass; Ian Quinton Banno ranked second and his jazz bass is big. There are only a few spots that only have one instrument and jazz bass is one of them. Ian has been a great addition to our team. He is superlatively talented and very helpful and humble at the same time. He spends a ton of time working with other kids.”
Banno received the number one All-State Jazz Ensemble ranking and number two with the All-State Orchestra.
Emily Gaye, who sings, is ranked number two with All-State Mixed Choir.
The JHS All-State selectees are:
Senior All-State Orchestra, Benjamin Budway, clarinet; Banno, String Base.
Senior All-State Ensemble: String Bass, Ian Quinton Banno, junior.
Senior All-State Band: French Horn-Anthony Andriole, sophomore; Bass Clarinet-Rachel Carson, senior; and Clarinet, Lizmar Torres, senior.
Senior All-State Mixed Choir: Bass-Matthew Eisemann, senior; Alto- Emily Gaye, senior.
Senior All-State Women’s Choir: Sopranos-Fallon Davis, Abigail Heiser, Madison Paolucci, Lauren Papa, seniors; Isabella Parrillo, sophomore.
Junior All-State Band: Tuba, Justin Salvatore.
Junior All-State Treble Choir, Soprano-Victoria MacKay, freshman.
The Concert Chorus will open tonight’s concert at 7 o’clock with White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes, arranger Pentatonic. In all, the Matthew Gingras group will sing three songs then join forces with his wife Amy’s NPHS Concert Chorus for a special number that is sure to delight young and old alike.
Matt Gingras’ Select Choir will follow and sing into intermission that Larmoureux said will be short, “we are very thankful for the audience and we don’t want our patrons to spend their night watching us move chairs an stands. We do our best to minimize intermission.”
Lamoureux’s band, meanwhile, will perform four tunes and with the finale listed as A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson.
Another Music Department group, the Tech Club, which began a few years ago and is made up of students who will be working the sound, lights and serving as usher, will ensure that all concert goers enjoy what promises to be a great night of holiday music, JHS style.
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