The JP Stevens band held its annual spring band concert on May 10. Featuring the symphonic, freshman, and wind ensemble bands, students from all grades showcased their musical efforts throughout the entire year. Each band put on an astounding performance for an appreciable culmination of a year of hard work and commitment. 

As 7 PM approached, the stage was set and ready for the bands to enter and perform. The concert would be the last concert that Mr. DeNicola would be directing at, following his fifty years at the JP Stevens band program. The auditorium was filled with proud parents, students, and friends of Mr. DeNicola who wanted to support him at the final concert of his teaching career. 

At the start of the program, three student-led small ensembles performed their respective pieces. These small ensembles consisted of the woodwind quintet, the clarinet choir, and the percussion ensemble. After these ensembles finished, the symphonic band moved onto the stage to play their program under the direction of Mr. Zazzali, Ms. Ferrali, and student teacher Mr. Fusco. Their first piece was the jovial and delicate “Benjamin Franklin & The Art of Music” by Robert W. Smith, followed by “Fantasy on American Sailing Songs” by Clare Grundman. Finally, the band ended their performance with the dynamic piece “Awakening Hills” by Richard Saucedo.

In transition between the symphonic and freshman bands, three additional small ensembles set up below the stage to perform their music. These groups were the trombone quintet, the flute quintet, and the trumpet quartet. Under the direction of all four band teachers, Mr. DeNicola, Ms. Ferrali, Mr. Zazzali, and Mr. Fusco, the freshman band then entered onto the stage to begin their program of music. The band played four pieces, starting with “Fantasy & Fugue” by Gerald Sebesky, who had also attended the concert as a friend of Mr. Denicola. The band then moved on to the fun, lighthearted piece named “A Tribute to Grainger (Movement 1 Country Gardens)” by Percy Grainger, and, afterwards, performed “Fantasy for Band” by Frank Erickson. To conclude the performance, the band then performed “Days of Glory” by John Cacavas, directed by Mr. Fusco, who was congratulated on completing his four months of student teaching at JP Stevens. Subsequently, the final three small ensembles carried out their tunes as the wind ensemble got set on stage. These three small ensembles were the clarinet quintet, the brass quintet, and the sax quartet.
“I really enjoyed playing our music for everyone in the audience,” said freshman Johnathan Jiang. “We worked hard this year and I thought that this concert came out great as our final one of the year.”

To begin the wind ensemble performance, Mr. DeNicola invited Mr. Bruce Yurko onto the stage to direct his piece “A.D. ‘L’ Fanfare for Wind Ensemble.” Along with this, Mr. DeNicola also selected two seniors to be featured in two different pieces, accompanied by the wind ensemble. The first senior to be featured was senior trombonist Amol Bhingarde, who performed “Concertino for Trombone & Band ” by Ferdinand Davis, arranged by Charles T. Yeago. Following this, senior Aadhitya Raam Ashok directed a piece he wrote, dedicated to Mr. DeNicola. It was named “Addio”, which means goodbye in Italian. The wind ensemble then played the John Philip Sousa march by the name of “Liberty Loan.” The next feature was senior Andrew Xiong who performed the piece “Oodles of Noodles” by Jimmy Dorsev, arranged by Rob Balfoort. To culminate their performance, the wind ensemble played the piece ”Symphonic Songs for Band (Movement 3 – Celebration)” by Robert Russell Bennett. 

Ultimately, the concert was an effective and successful way to round off the year and Mr. DeNicola’s final year teaching before retiring.