On Tuesday, October 24, 2023, the Music Mega Mix was held at the Weston Auditorium here at Fitchburg State University. All of the music talents Fitchburg State has were there to show a snippet of their talents.Prior to the advising session, a concert was held to let students know which groups they may join.
The first group to play was the Fitchburg State Community Orchestra. The orchestra is a combination of instruments that vary from string instruments such as violin, viola, cello, and bass. They also consisted of flutists and a couple of other woodwinds, brasses, and percussionists. The orchestra meets on Tuesdays from 6-8:30 p.m. and allows people with familiarity of the instruments to join. Their conductor, Dr. Hildur Schilling, has been a part of the orchestra and musical extremities for more than 15 years now. She was one of the people who started the orchestra.Schilling stated, “There was no real orchestra when I first got here, and I wanted to help bring a little bit of professional music taste to the Fitchburg Community.”
The three songs that the orchestra played were Selections from Les Miserables by Boublil & Schonberg / arr. Larry Moore, Believer by Imagine Dragons / Victor Lopez, and Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix / Larry Moore. Next up at the Music Mega Mix was the Fitchburg State Concert Band. This group was a combination of woodwinds, brass, and percussion. The concert band is directed by Dr. Amy McGlothlin and meets on Thursdays from 5:45 to 8:15 p.m. Anyone who is familiar with the aforementioned instruments is welcome to join the group. They perform music by LGBTQ conductors throughout the entire year. The songs they played at the Music Mega Mix were Choose Joy by Randle Standridge and A Mother Of A Revolution by Omar Thomas.
After the Fitchburg State Concert Band concluded, the next group to come on stage was the Fitchburg State Chamber Choir. The Chamber Choir is an audition-only group and is conducted by Dr. Jonathan Harvey. The Chamber Choir performs at school events and is a select group of eleven individuals and is held Monday and Wednesday from 2-3:15 p.m. At the Music Mega Mix they performed two songs Weep, O Mine Eyes by John Bennet and Salmo 150 by Ernani Aguiar.
The Chamber Choir was followed by the Concert Choir. The Concert Choir is a group that is open to anyone to join and is held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-4:45 p.m. This group is also conducted by Dr. Jonathan Harvey and their pianist is Kris Layton. They sang two songs at the Music Mega Mix which were I am a Voice the Sings by Micheal Bussewitz-Quarm and Over the Rainbow by Harold Arlen, arr. Mark Hayes.
Lastly, the Fitchburg University Modern Jazz Band also referred to as. “The Finch Birds.” They consist of anyone who would like to join and any instrument possible. They require no history and are free to the public as well as all other groups. They all choose the music together, and they’ll arrange it to suit everyone’s skill level. They are directed by Dr. Amy McGlothin and meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. The songs that they performed were Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma arr. Amy McGlothin and Afro Blue by Mongo Santamaria arr. Amy McGlothin.
The orchestra and concert band will be back to perform on Thursday, November 16 at 7:30. The Choirs will both perform on December 5, The Jazz band on December 6th, and all back together on Symphonic Christmas Carol on December 8 and 9 at 7:30 pm.
