The room was well filled with an audience and the stage was packed with performers. The lights went down and the applause began. The excitement filled the auditorium for the Point Pleasant Boro Winter 2022 Band Concert, led by Mr. Visco. A senior band member, Alivia Muhlenbruck, an alto saxophone player, shared that “it was one of [the band’s] best performances.” 

Senior Megan Morton, clarinet player and section leader, opened the whole show and brought the band into unison. The performance started the same way it always does with the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, and as always, the band sounded amazing. The band then went on to a holiday compilation; listening and being able to pick out the different carols as they seamlessly blended into one another was amazing.

During the song “Pavanne”, David Mammano, a junior at PPBHS, stood at the front of the stage and performed a wonderful solo on the trumpet. For those who don’t know, David also played one of the leads in the PPBHS performance of Buddy the Elf as Walter Hobbs, Buddy’s father. Not only was he preparing for that show, memorizing all of his lines, but he was simultaneously preparing for the band performance, sharing his incredible talent.

The band also played a tribute to The Phantom of the Opera because of the show leaving the Broadway stage. The very first note sounded amazing and only got better from there. The way the music flowed together was beautiful. During the song, senior Ben Peterson was playing the violin. He was the only one playing and, towards the end of the song, he had a very quick solo which truly sounded beautiful. 

During the concert, anyone who attended the football games this year would have had flashbacks to this past fall season. The band performed the “2 by Two” mixes from the marching band, which were very upbeat. Every single performer was focused on the performance. It was great seeing the members of the band get really into the songs, as they danced and mouthed the words which emphasized the joy they felt playing together.

During the performance, there was an intermission where the drum line was left to play their classic walk out song.

The band then played “A Christmas Festival” bringing the concert to a full circle with yet another amazing holiday compilation. The audience was filled with cheer as they sang along with lyrics of popular holiday songs, as the notes filled the room. 

The final song “Sleigh Ride” was conducted by one of the seniors, Sara Willis. The song sounded incredible! The clips were very creative with Ben Peterson and Jackie Murphy banging their drum sticks together in a background battle (no one was injured; it was all fun and games!). The whole performance was just as breathtaking.

When asked about their performance, one of the band members said, “it was fun and brought a lot of holiday spirit and joy. We worked hard and were proud to perform!” From watching the show, you could truly tell how hard they had worked to put this concert together.  

Congratulations to the PPBHS Band for the 2022 Winter Concert and good luck on their 2023 Spring Concert, I know it will be amazing.