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Crowdless music festival a resounding success
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Posted on Apr 27 2021
Despite having zero live audience, over a hundred performers from different schools and of different age groups pulled off a three-hour celebration of music called the Saipan Wind Band Festival last Sunday, April 25, at the Hibiscus Hall of the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan. The performances were recorded for later sharing with the public.
According to Saipan Pacific Winds Band director and lead organizer of the event Atsuko Eck, the festival “went really, really well and as we planned.”
The festival featured performances from the Su-san Band, Saipan International School Advanced Ensemble directed by Tricia Anne Gleason, Saipan Community School Concert Band directed by Ruthi Fruit, Marianas High School Concert Band directed by Gina Aguilar, all four Mount Carmel School bands directed by Julian Greening, and the Saipan Pacific Winds Concert Band directed by Eck.
The closing half of the event featured a beginner-intermediate combined band and an advanced combined band, and the festival ultimately ended with a performance of Torch of Liberty by Karl King by all musicians present at the festival.
The music played at the event was about as diverse as the schools and musicians present, ranging from pieces one would expect to be played by a concert band like Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D to familiar movie favorites like Titanic’s My Heart Will Go on, a medley of songs from The Greatest Showman and music from Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles, to songs you would least expect at an orchestral concert event like La Bamba by Los Lobos, Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, and the opening theme Gurenge from the anime Demon Slayer.
“I hope the children had a good time, and hearing the sounds was amazing. It was really good. I was really sad that we couldn’t share this with a live audience, but hopefully next year,” said Eck.
When ready, footage and pictures of the event will be posted on Saipan Pacific Winds’ Facebook page and YouTube channel.
The festival, traditionally held every year, had no live audience this time in order to comply with COVID-19 restrictions.
