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On Tuesday, February 24, Saint Xavier University’s Wind Ensemble was accompanied by the Southside Community Band for their “Bon Voyage, Ireland 2015” concert. The concert was held in the SXU Performance Space and was open to the public.
Director of Bands and Orchestra Dr. Jeff Malecki believes that the concert was a success. “It was quite successful. The bands all played very difficult music at an intensely high level,” Dr. Malecki said.
The Wind Ensemble and the Southside Community Band consists of 25 to 35 musicians from Saint Xavier and the surrounding communities. The two bands often perform together.
“The Southside Community Band is a group that consists of individuals not only from SXU but from the nearby area,” explained Felix Ponce, the Wind Ensemble’s Principal Trombone.
Ponce also spoke about how easy it is to join this group and the other opportunities that come with membership. “It is open to students, faculty, staff, and community members who desire to play for fun and just to continue a love or interest in playing their instrument,” Ponce said.
Ponce, who is a Music Education Major at Saint Xavier, said that he has been a part of the Wind Ensemble since the fall of 2012. Since joining, Ponce has found inspiration for his future career as an educator from the ensemble’s director.
“I enjoy being able to play repertoire that is fun, exciting, and often challenging. Also, under the direction of Dr. Malecki, we are guided towards a better understanding of the pieces we play and how to better perform them with his comments in mind. He is someone I admire and I hope to model my teaching after his as it is so effective,” said Ponce.
The “Bon Voyage, Ireland 2015” concert was a sendoff for the Southside Community Band, who will be traveling to Ireland. Saint Xavier students and faculty who are currently performing with the community band were also eligible for the trip to Ireland.
“This will be the music department’s first trip abroad in several years. The group will be roughly 30 members from three states, including students, alumni, faculty, and community members,” Dr. Malecki said.
On Tuesday, March 16 the Southside Community Band will perform the “Bon Voyage, Ireland 2015” program in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin with a Catholic High School band from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ponce says being able to perform in St. Patrick’s Cathedral is an “awesome international experience.” The cathedral is not only a place of worship, but it is also a famous historical and architectural landmark that is over 800 years old. It is the largest cathedral in all of Ireland.
The trip to Ireland is a great opportunity for those eligible and many students have been eagerly awaiting the chance to travel and perform internationally, as chances like these do not come around too often.
“The opportunity to perform in Ireland is an awesome opportunity and I am so excited for the upcoming trip. I will be one of the individuals on this trip and I have been counting down since the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year,” said Ponce.
Not only will the members of the band have the opportunity to perform in Ireland, but they will also visit several interesting historical sites.The travellers will visit many locations throughout Ireland, including a site that is significant to the history of the Sisters of Mercy, the founders of Saint Xavier University.
“Major points of interest include the birthplace of Catherine McAuley (founder of Sisters of Mercy), Clonmacnoise, Connemara, Clifden, as well as our home bases of Galway and Dublin,” Malecki said.
Many of the individuals who are going on the trip have developed close relationships, with other band members and facult. All of those involved are excited to be able to share this experience together. and recognize how special the trip will be for all of them.
“I know that the whole trip will be a lot of fun and the days are nearing for our plane to depart, but what I am most excited about is that I get to make this trip with close friends, colleagues and role models,” said Ponce.
Yasmeen Abdellatif
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