Last night, masses of high school and middle school students gathered at the Wayland Middle School for the annual Masquerade Concert. Musicians and audience members alike donned various costumes: pirates, clowns, flamingoes, the Blue Man Group, tinker bells, teenagers, Red Sox players, ladybugs, pigs, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, maidens, cowboys, Native Americans, the Cat in the Hat, goths, devils, and Marc Jacobs’ wife, along with many other characters, milled about backstage and in the auditorium, eager for the concert to begin.



The evening began with a parade set to Halloween-type music, after which the sixth grade orchestra settled onstage. The middle school orchestra conductor, Mrs. Memoli, shuffled onstage in a bass bag, her face peering out from a circle cut out of the fabric, and lead the sixth graders in playing its three selections: Merle J. Isaac’s “Dancing Basses,” Brian Balmages’ “Creatures,” and Elliot Del Borgo’s “Fantastia for Strings.”



The seventh and eighth graders then played David Shaffer’s “Dance Mysterioso,” Thom Sharp’s “Wizard’s Waltz,” and the second movement of Sandra Dackow’s arrangement of Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1 in D.” The middle school string students performed with great ease, and their pieces created quite a spooky atmosphere for the evening.



The high school orchestra then assembled onstage. Mrs. Ezbicki, the high school orchestra conductor, made an impressive entrance when she scuttled into the auditorium and frantically buzzed down aisles and ramps to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Flight of the Bumblebee.” The audience was entertained by her humorous entry.

The students first played selections from Peter Warlock’s “Capriol Suite for String Orchestra”: “Basse-Danse,” “Pieds-en-l’air,” and “Mattachins (Sword Dance).” They then plucked their way through Leroy Anderson’s “Jazz Pizzicato” and surprised the audience when they jumped up to play Dean Marshall’s “Calypso Jam.” Their performance was enthusiastic.



As this is Mrs. Ezbicki’s final year teaching at Wayland High School, she decided to celebrate it by conducting one of Leroy Anderson’s pieces at every concert, as 2008 also happens to be Anderson’s centennial. Anderson was one of the greatest American composers of the past century, who crafted many pieces for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Among his most famous works are The Syncopated Clock, Plink, Plank, Plunk! and Blue Tango.

Mrs. Ezbicki also announced the Barrage concert that’s set for November 14. Barrage is a high-energy musical group consisting of violins and various other instruments, including drums, bass, and guitar. Both the Weston and Wayland high school orchestras will perform with the internationally recognized group at the field house. Tickets will be sold at school and at the door.

All in all, the masquerade concert was a success; the costumes, raffle prizes, humor, and music all created a wonderful atmosphere to kick off our high school orchestra’s year.