By Christina Root
Staff Writer
On Sunday, Bonaventure’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts presented outstanding concert band and concert choir performances to celebrate CNN’s Hero Of The Year, Maggie Doyne.
Both the SBU concert band and choir centered their performances around Christmastime, featuring both classic and modern interpretations of Christmas classics.
The event began with the concert choir performances directed by SBU artist-in-residence, Kathryn A. Black.
Black organized the performances to focus on children. Black and the choir chose songs about children to celebrate CNN’s Hero Of The Year, Maggie Doyne, who was recently awarded with an honorary degree from the university for her work with children in Nepal.
The performance was representative of both the central idea of children and the Christmas spirit. Classic songs “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and “Silent Night” were crowd favorites fueled by an exceptional performance by soloist Daniel Cowan, junior journalism and mass communication major.
Modern interpretations of “Can You Hear The Prayer Of The Children” and “Have You Seen The Tiny Little Baby” incorporated acoustic guitar and a cappella that felt like a welcoming embodiment of the holiday season.
The concert band performance was then directed by music professor, Leslie Sabina, Ph.D.
The performance featured traditional carols like their own rendition of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and a phenomenal performance of “C’est Noel” composed by Canadian musician Andre Jutras.
The event ended with an emotional performance of “The Polar Express” which excelled at presenting a modern approach to traditional Christmas music, particularly with its impressive performance from student flautists.
The concert band and concert choir both had excellent performances that acted as a proper send-off to the fall semester and a celebratory welcome to the Christmas season.
rootcm14@bonaventure.edu
