Prospect High School’s band program has performed at venues across the Midwest and even the country, but this week its Symphonic Band played in one of the most prestigious concert halls in the country: Symphony Center, home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Jonathan Phan plays clarinet with the band. (Photos by Tania Binning-Rotondi)
“It was a fantastic experience and very much a professional experience for our students,” says Chris Barnum, Director of Bands at Prospect. “From the facilities to the folks we worked with at Symphony Center, everything was truly first-rate.”
The concert took place Monday, President’s Day. Prospect musicians combined to present the program with bands from O’Fallon Township and Downers Grove South. Each band played three selections. In the case of Prospect, they played Harvest by Steven Pyter, Intrinsic Light by Cait Nishimura, and Slava! by Leonard Bernstein.
In preparation for their performance, Prospect musicians worked with one of the composers himself, Steven Pyter, who is a Chicago-based composer and music educator. He came to Prospect to work with the band in playing his wind overture, Harvest.
“I’m always looking to create special and unique opportunities for our students,” Barnum says, “whether that is with our concert bands, our marching band, guest conductors, pieces of repertoire, and in any number of other ways.”
Chris Barnum directs Prospect’s Symphonic Band at Symphony Center.
Consider some of their gigs over the past year: they recorded a commercial for a local business, traveled to Washington D.C. with the Marching Knights to perform a series of concerts on Veteran’s Day, and now the Symphonic Band’s formal performance at Symphony Center.
And that’s not all. Later this month, Prospect will send its jazz band to compete locally at Jazz in the Meadows at Rolling Meadows High School.
“Our students work extremely hard at their craft,” Barnum adds, “so finding these opportunities to showcase their work is really important to us. The other band directors and I wanted to give them a unique and special experience, so we put this together.”
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