Apple Polishing Concert held

Apple Polishing Concert held By Parker Knox In between mouth-watering desserts before and after the program, Vermillion High Schoolâ�?�?s music students performed the Music Boostersâ�?�? annual Apple Polishing Concert in the VHS theater Monday night. John Alpersâ�?�? Pride of Vermillion marching band, with its season winding down this week, brought the theater to life as the percussion onstage marked time while the rest of the band paraded down two aisles from the rear of the auditorium. Drum majors April Sun and Jennifer Noiva put the band through its paces in a medley of Andrew Lloyd Webber music from The Phantom of the Opera. When the marching band performs at games in the DakotaDome, the sound of the music sometimes gets lost in the expanse of the place, but in the closely-enclosed theater and stage, it was great to really hear The Music of the Night and the rest of the â�?�?Phantomâ�? pieces. Jacey Wipf was trumpet soloist on an arrangement of Somehow Wishing You Were Here Again. The audience also heard from trumpet soloist Chris Bellis and watched dance soloist Krissy Zalud from out of the color guard as the band concluded with Masquerade, All I Ask of You and a reprise of The Music of the Night. A rousing rendition of the VHS school song with Alpers himself at the podium sent the 52-member uniform-clad band and color guard marching away and the audience clapping in time to the music. During intermission a physical problem with one of the wheels on the schoolâ�?�?s grand piano was discovered, but the show must go on! A spinet was rolled in from the chorus room, and the vocal portion of the concert went on as scheduled, beginning with Trisha Fisherâ�?�?s 17-member freshman womenâ�?�?s choir performing Only Hope. Prolific choral composer John Leavittâ�?�?s spirited Festival Sanctus opened the combined choirsâ�?�? part of the show. Then they sang three selections on the repertoire of this yearâ�?�?s All-State Chorus in Sioux Falls next week. Stephen Paulusâ�?�? melancholy The Road Home was sung a capella. Then the singers got their rhythm on with an exciting performance of Tres Cantos Nativos Dos Indios Krao. The other All-State selection was Sine Nomine, which many church-goers recognized as the For All the Saints hymn. Cole Andre was heard as soloist on Cinderella, a warm but sad selection in which a composer recalled the passing of memorable moments in his daughtersâ�?�? lives. Lucas Zimmerman provided trapset rhythm accompaniment to that number as well as the showâ�?�?s concluding number, Everybody Rejoice. And thatâ�?�?s what the people did as they left the theater, rejoicing in a schoolâ�?�?s active music program, â�?�?empowering,â�? as the printed program stated, â�?�?our students through music.â�?