TORRINGTON – As the snow outside blew across the ground, music filled the Eastern Wyoming College Fine Arts Auditorium early Sunday afternoon for the Community Band and Choir December Concert.
The choir came out first, and EWC Community Education instructor Aaron Bahmer led the choir in its performance with accompanist Paula Arnold on the piano.
Carolyn McBurney, choir member and assistant to Wyo Help’s Executive Director, stepped forward to thank all those who had brought along a canned food donation for Wyo Help. She emphasized Wyo Help’s gratitude and need for donations and volunteers before introducing the song “Streets of London” by Ralph McTell, a song about learning to reach out to those less fortunate.
“Let me take you by the hand and take you through the streets of London,” sang the choir.
The lyrics of the song start by picturing an old man with holes in his shoes and wearing worn out clothes. A woman in the song has dirty hair and “[carries] her home in two carrier bags.” The song asks how the listener can complain about their small problems when there are people like the two in the song who have lost everything.
Other songs were more festive, like the songs “Christmas Is a Feeling” and “Snow.”
As snow fell outside, the band took the stage, starting with Johann Strauss’s “Radetzky March,” directed by Gary Glass. Other songs included Robert Sheldon’s “Celebration and Dance” directed by Nathan Beutler and Henry Mancini’s “Baby Elephant Walk,” which Bahmer directed.
“I really enjoy drawing music from people,” Bahmer said. “Ultimately, you become the ultimate performer as a director because you’re making everybody do what you want them to…You’re bringing the performance alive in the way that you perceive it.”
With a global pandemic in the way, the Community Band and Choir classes have been more difficult than usual to schedule for EWC. Bahmer also mentioned the lack of community members signing up for the classes has been an obstacle to overcome. He encouraged all those in the audience to sign up when classes begin again in late January for the spring concert.
“Thank you for braving this weather,” he said to close the concert.
For more information on EWC’s Community Education classes, visit ewc.wy.edu/communityed or call the Community Education Department at 307-532-8323 or 307-532-8213.
