On Wednesday, March 15, Waubonsie Valley High School (WVHS) of Naperville District 204 held their Music is in our Schools (MIOSM) capstone concert at Wentz Concert Hall in Downtown Naperville. The concert was comprised of the WVHS chamber strings, varsity choirs, and the wind ensemble which performed the world premiere of the Hindustani piece, Chamak, written by their guest composer, Reena Esmail.
Chamak “sparks” attention from audience
WVHS was one of 20 school groups from around the country that worked with Indian-American composer Reena Esmail. The word Chamak is derived from the Hindustani word for spark, which Reena focused on when teaching the piece. Prior to the performance, Reena took the stage to talk about Chamak and how special it was to see it come to fruition. One-third of the WVHS Wind Ensemble members are from South Asian descent, which Reena reflected on as she felt her culture was underrepresented in the arts when she was growing up. The song is broken up into three movements and makes history as the first band piece based solely on Hindustani music.
Check out this NCTV17 news story for more details on Chamak and its meaning.
Waubonsie Valley High School Capstone Concert celebrates Music in our Schools Month
The capstone concert acts as a time to showcase the hard work of WVHS’s varsity music groups, and celebrate what’s to come for senior musicians. Featured in the show was the Wind Ensemble directed by Mark Duker, the chamber strings directed by Shawnita Tyus, and the varsity choirs directed by Seth Durbin. In addition to Chamak, the groups performed pieces by; Charles Ives, Christopher Tin, Jake Runestad, Richard Bjella, and many more.
Indian Prairie School District (IPSD) 204 recognizes March as “Music in our Schools” month, which showcases every curricular and extracurricular group in the district within the month of March. For a full list of concerts, check the IPSD 204 website.
Check out more concerts and community events covered by NCTV17.
