It was a rainy, gloomy night with the wind whipping outside the Performing Arts Center as the Huntley High School band members began to warm up. After a minute, the roar of the instruments settled to a single note as the house lights dimmed and the audience’s attention was drawn to the student musicians. 

On Feb. 16, the symphonic, jazz, percussion, wind, and concert bands showcased the pieces they had spent the past few months learning with countless hours of work put in by each and every student. 

“The best thing preparing for this concert has been seeing the growth from our first concert up until now,” band director Kevin Krivosik said. “The music selection is a lot more challenging and the students have learned it all very well.”

Some of the pieces performed at the concert include “Techno Pop” by Nathan Daughtery, “Joy Revisited” by Frank Ticheli, and “Ecstatic Fanfare” by Steven Bryant. 

“My favorite part was getting to just have fun and showcase this music we have been working so hard on,” freshman Kayleigh Rosinski said. 

The concert was a great showcase of the students’ knowledge, with packed seats and thundering applause after every song. The Huntley Band Boosters also sold bundt cakes in the lobby to fundraise for future programs.  

While the show was a success, there were hurdles along the road. One of these challenges was having students absent from class rehearsals. 

“When you don’t have the entire ensemble in front of you, it’s difficult to rehearse,” Krivosik said. “You don’t have all the instrument parts so I can’t fix everything to make it sound the way it needs to be.”

Nevertheless, the Huntley band let their talents shine. The hard work the students put in was evident and elevated the music to an admirable level. 

“Although one of our songs, Armenian Dances, was around 12 minutes long, we all pushed through the end of the piece with the intention of navigating the audience through a variety of folk songs that hopefully made them want to dance,” senior Angie Favila said. 

The amount of hard work put into these pieces by the students was apparent and made the concert special for everyone who attended. 

The Huntley band is looking forward to their next performance in April. Until then, they will continue to play with heart and passion every day