The band program will hold its annual Concerto Contest on March 25 at 5 p.m. in various locations within the school.
“The purpose of the event is to allow students to participate in a very competitive solo division and be able to showcase their skills,” assistant director Brock Alsaffar said. “It gives students an opportunity to really get a chance to express their technical difficulties and to play in front of judges.”
The event is taking place in five different locations: the auditorium, cafeteria stage, HHS9 cafeteria stage, HHS9 lecture hall and HHS9 theater room. The students participating will be split into five different divisions, one for each location.
“They’re split up by ensembles, [and] since we have a large number of students, [they] split within those ensembles [as well],” Alsaffar said. “There’s a wind symphony brass division and a wind symphony percussion/woodwind division, and the same [format is used] for the symphonic band. [For] concert band, it’s just all of concert band [combined] because it’s just easier location-wise.”
The Concerto Contest is held every year after the LISD and UIL solo contests have taken place. It is offered only to Hebron students, and allows them to get used to playing in front of judges and peers.
“[I feel] kind of a mixture of both [excitement and nervousness,] because I am mostly going in to get more chances to play in front of people,” sophomore Riley Boyd said. “It’ll be a good experience for me and I hope I do well.”
Winners of each division get a trophy and get to perform in the chamber recital concert in May. Senior Aayan Patel said the competitive nature of the contest increases individual productivity.
“I think everyone is pretty excited for it this year,” Patel said. “I know a lot of people are working hard, so it’s a good way to increase motivation and practice throughout the band.”
Beyond allowing students to get experience, the directors use the contest as a way to see which students could potentially be one of the next soloists in both marching season and concert season. Anyone is able to come watch the performances.
“It gives the students an opportunity to perform in front of their peers, [which is] something that they’ve been working on,” Alsaffar said. “It also gives [the directors] an opportunity to see how our students have been progressing throughout the years.”
