An Afternoon with River City Brass

Last Sunday, hundreds of members of the Norwin community gathered together to enjoy an afternoon concert, The Magic of Christmas, with River City Brass to support the NSDCF.

Arriving concertgoers waiting for the doors to open at the Norwin High School auditorium were treated to the sounds of Christmas and the holidays courtesy of the Norwin Middle School orchestra accompanied by Mr. Michael Szymanski, Norwin music teacher and grades 7-12 orchestra director.

Soon after, concertgoers took their seats ot experience a concert unlike any other. River City Brass played classic Christmas compositions alongside uniquely modern, swing-inspired takes on the same. Under Dr. James Gourley, conductor, all of the myriad of ways the Magic of Christmas can be expressed during the holiday season came alive for the audience.

But the American brass band tradition isn’t just about listening to the music. Since their birth in the nineteenth-century, brass bands have always been experienced. For some songs, audience members were invited to sing along. At other moments, it was abundantly clear that RCB musicians are more than willing to have a little fun while performing.

The performance was not limited to River City Brass alone, however. Members of the Norwin High School Chamber Singers and the Bel Canto Women’s Choir and Show Choir were called upon to perform alongside the world-class performers of River City Brass.

These Norwin students did not disappoint as they rose to the occassion to display their natural talents that have been honed by years of practice and dedication.