MHS Concert Choir and Band Hold Their Fall 2021 Show

The Malta High School Band and Choir put on an outstanding show on Tuesday, October 26, in the Malta Auditorium.

The Malta Concert Choir got things started under the direction of Nancy Murdock.

The 34 member choir started with Exsultate Justi arranged by Cristi Cary Miller and accompanied by Mardy Demarais.

It is a song of Psalms 32. A jubilant and celebratory song sung in Latin. The title means "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just".

The next song was called More to Me, arranged by Pink Zebra and accompanied by Mardy Demarais.

This is a song that invites others to discover more about us by looking deeper beyond first impressions and preconceived ideas. To understand that we each have rich complexities to uncover.

The song featured solos and duets throughout by Emma Harms, Aubri Werk, Kyle Darrington, Elijah Hawes, Skylie Lefdahl, and Deion Lefdahl.

The final song done by the full choir was an old classic that immediately brought up visions of Frank Sinatra called Fly Me To The Moon. Arrangement by Roger Emerson and accompanied by Mardy Demarais.

The last song of the night was sung by the MHS Euterpes called Song of Miriam. Arranged by Elaine Hagenberg and accompanied by Jenny Oxarart.

Mrs. Murdock said of this song, "This is a beautiful and complex song bordering on a college level. I was thinking that maybe this is a little bit more than we wanted to try to accomplish right off the bat. But the Euterpes love to dig into a challenge and were very diligent that they got everything right."

The song is about a story from the Old Testament that takes place when Moses is trying to convince everyone to walk through the parted Red Sea. It's putting us in the place of the Jews trying to escape from the soldiers that are chasing them, but looking ahead and seeing this sea that has parted in front of them and they are expected to march through like it's no big deal. In the Bible, they write about how Miriam, the sister of Moses, is standing there, wondering what it is that God wants her to do, and she becomes full of song. This song takes you on the journey that they go through.

The concert band took the stage, and after a little setback with a plug-in, band director Erik Engebretson started their portion of the show with a song called Moving at the Speed of Sound, arranged by Mark Lortz.

Mr. E. described the song as "A piece that uses a kind of new way of composition in band music. It's all done in two-measure phrases. Just bits of two pieces. Every two measures, it changes just slightly."

The next song was called Fields of Clover arranged by Randall Standridge.

Mr. E. said that this song is the exact opposite of the first one. It is a piece about a prayer for rain. A much more melodic piece.

Soloists in this song were Madyson Bain on Clarinet and E'mbow SaintLouis on trumpet.

The third song was called Hebrew Melody, arranged by David Bobrowitz.

Mr. Engebretson said, "This is a nice little medley that was put together. It's very tune-full and pretty cool."

The next two songs were done back to back. They are more current songs that the band had been doing for pep band.

The first one is called Blinding Lights by The Weekend and the second, Shut Up and Dance, by Walk the Moon.

For the grand finale, the movie screen was lowered above the band and a short and spooky silent movie was started to which the band played a song called Ghost Band. A perfect accompaniment to the film. It also contained a loud crash, a blood-curdling scream, and a door slamming shut. After which Mr. E. turned to the crowd, thanked them for coming, and wished everyone a Happy Halloween.