Band finishes the year at pops concert

By Daisy Gonzalez

Photo Credit: Saddleback Band

On May 27, the band ensemble performed in front of an audience of parents and students in the Forum.

 

The first part of their performance featured the Wind Ensemble playing songs from Disney Movies and Star Trek. The second part of the show was played by the Concert and Intermediate Band, which performed songs from the movies Guardians of the Galaxy and Aladdin.

 

When the third performance of the night was about to begin, Band Director Mr. Dylan Harlan highlighted the achievements of this year’s band, such as winning the SCSBOA Division 1A Marching Championships and performing at Disneyland as a marching band in one of the parades last year. He then recognized the seniors from the ensemble and Color Guard members.

 

He commemorated senior Anthony Teran, who is the president of band, saying Teran has helped him ever since he entered band as a freshman. Mr. Harlan honored senior and Drum Major Daniel Garcia.   Garcia conducted the combined Wind Ensemble and Concert Band.

 

Mr. Harlan then introduced guest star Joey Sellers.  Sellers spoke about his career as an accomplished composer in both jazz and classical music and Director of Jazz Studies at Saddleback College. He conducted a segment of the show, and also played the trombone.

 

Then came the surprise guest.  Harlan exclaimed  that he has no pianist. He asked the crowd if there was anybody willing to play for him. He looked over everyone and spotted a man with a red cap and Trojans jersey. To everyone’s surprise, it was Saddleback principal, Dr. Robert Laxton, who came onstage and played piano for everyone throughout the rest of the concert, even joining with Harlan as he played saxophone for a few songs.

After playing all the songs, Anthony Teran announced the retirement of Dr. Laxton and presented a plaque dedicated to him as a present for his retirement.  Teran gave Harlan two presents, a small badge honoring the band’s successes this year and a letterman jacket with the word ‘Harlan’ on the back.

Band concert brings pops to the Forum

By: Selene Sarabia

Photos by Selene Sarabia

The Instrumental Music Department at Saddleback put on what parents and guests believe to have been the best show yet. On Wednesday May 28 the Forum doors were opened for the annual Pops Concert were Saddleback High School’s Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Beginning Band, Jazz Band, and Choir all performed. The performance began with with the Wind Ensemble; amongst the music played was The Lion King, conducted by instructor Mr. Dylan Harlan.

 

 

 

Senior Amanda Asad conducts her final musical piece as a Roadrunner.

 

The audience concluded the first performance with a warm round of applause and welcomed next year’s marching band members, conducted by Senior Amanda Asad. As the drum major, this talented student was given the privilege of conducting her peers.

The concert also featured guest artists Willie Murillo on trumpet and Becky Martin on vocals.

Murillo is an improvisational musician who makes most of his music on stage. Senior Yamil Reyes said, “They were both great doing what they do, and they were also pretty inspiring. The more I talked to them the more I was inspired to continue music after high school”

After his performance, Murrillo also offered to give lessons to any band member from Saddleback High School at no cost. Senior Luis Lopez, among many, were very interested in his proposition.

Senior Emily Garrett improvises on her sax.

To conclude the show, Jazz Band played alongside Martin. Senior Emily Garrett had the opportunity to improvise a solo part of “Oh, Mary Don’t You Weep” with her tenor saxophone.

The Avila family stated, “Overall, we loved the performance. All of the students put much time and dedication into bringing this show to life. Of course, Mr. Harlan too played a huge role in this success. ”

 

Color Guard takes first place

By Kaitlin Fergerstrom

On March 9 Saddleback’s color guard team participated in a competition at Savanna High School. Our talented dancers showed off their moves and won first place out of the seven schools in the tournament.

 

Senior Jesse Escalante, team captain, said, “Being the first to perform was very shaky, because the crowd was very quiet.”  He added, “What was really nice was there were actually people who we’ve met before from other schools in the audience yelling out our names and cheering us on.” Escalante said he believes Sunday was a very productive day.

Photo Credit: Hector Brambila
The Color Guard co-captains from left to right: Sophomore America Rendon and seniors Jesse Escalante and Dulce Rivera (captains and co-captains).

Escalante also said, “Sunday was our most successful competition, not just of the season but probably of what this team has had in years.” Escalante continued, “It was a very big step in Saddleback history being able to move up in the next rank.”

 

Senior Dulce Rivera, co-captain, described there victorious morning, “Sunday’s competition was really intense, because it was the tournament that was going to tell us whether we qualify for the next ranking.”  Rivera ended with, “We’ve been through bruises, tears, and sweat. So I feel we earned first place.”

 

Sophomore America Rendon, co-captain, added her thoughts. “I felt like that morning we were giving Saddleback a good reputation,” she said. “A lot of people saw us as the underdogs. Now we’re on top and it’s starting to feel great that we’re being recognized.” As future head captain she was looking forward to future competitions.

Photo Credit: Hector Brambila
The Saddleback High School Color Guard

After many years of hard work, Escalante was very proud of his team and their success.

Performance Ensemble shines in holiday concert

By Raul Carrillo

Photos by Joselyn Macias

 

On Thursday, December 12, the Saddleback Performance Ensemble performed their annual holiday concert.

The concert opened up with our award-winning Performance Ensemble, playing “Iron Horse Express” and “Big Four.” The band played these songs in their competitions this year, winning them first place in the La Palma Days Parade.

After the Performance Ensemble played, the Beginning Band played two songs: “First Holiday Concert” and “Colors of Christmas” by Robert W. Smith. The Beginning Band is composed of students who just began play their instruments in November.

Then came the Jazz Band, who played three songs: traditionals “Rest Ye Merry Samba” and “Away in a Manger,”along with “Hot Chocolate” by Ballard and Silvestri. During this performance, a number of Roadrunners got to showcase their talents with their own solos.  Student musicians Cesar Avila, Brenda Bermudez, Emily Garrett, Luis Lopez, Suzette Panduro, Enrique Pineda, and Yamil Reyes were all featured soloists.

The last group to perform was the Wind Symphony, who also played three songs: “Christmas on Parade” by Jay Chattaway, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” by Danny Elfman, and “Christmas Sing-A-Long” by James D. Ployar. The “Christmas Sing-A-Long,” a tradition of band director Mr. Dylan Harlan, brought the crowd to sing with the band as they played some of the most well-known holiday songs.

The Band concert was a huge success that brought the holiday spirit to the campus.