At 7:00pm this past Tuesday, December 12, parents and peers of Hingham’s band members gathered in the high school auditorium for the annual Winter Band Concert. They were joined by  special guest A. Douglas Wauchope, who was Hingham High’s band director before Mr. Cincotta.

It was an honor to have Mr. Wauchope, an extremely talented and well-traveled musician, play in several of the ensembles that night. Harriet Wiley, a sophomore in the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds, enthused over Mr. Wauchope after the concert. She commented, “I really enjoyed all the tips he gave on how to become a better musician. I can’t wait to put them into use!”

Also in attendance were the 5th grade band buddies. These are students from the four Hingham elementary schools who signed up to be paired with a high school band member in order to experience the high school band and improve their own playing. This concert was a tremendous opportunity for the elementary school students to become inspired to continue their musical careers through high school.

The concert started with Jazz Band, an advanced afterschool ensemble for band members, which kicked off the night with four energetic pieces: “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, ‘ “April In Paris,” and “What is Hip?”

Next, Hingham’s other advanced ensemble, Chamber Winds, followed with “Chorale and Shaker Dance,” an engaging variation on the traditional Shaker tune “Simple Gifts.”

Accompanying the high schoolers were a few talented middle school students who were part of the advanced ensembles. Congratulations to Ewan Armstrong, Eli Webber, William Croteau, and Ethan Burt for their wonderful performances!

The Concert Band came next with a lively piece titled “Tricycle” and an arrangement of “Amazing Grace.” Then came the highlight of the evening: the Wind Ensemble joined the Concert Band onstage for a rousing rendition of the well-known “Carmina Burana,” a powerful piece often used in movie soundtracks and trailers.

Olivia Barbuto, a sophomore attending the concert, noted, “The sound was so powerful coming from all of Hingham High’s band members!”

“It was really inspiring to see them all performing at once,” she added.

Afterwards, the Wind Ensemble performed  “Kirkpatrick Fanfare,” a cheerful Irish tune. This ensemble finished the successful night with an outstanding 14-minute performance of “Russian Christmas Music.”

Excellent job to all the musicians who performed at the concert!