Talented musicians of the Eastern Wind Ensemble and Eastern Concert Band presented a joint winter concert designed to capture the beauty of the winter season on Dec. 6 in Eastern’s Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall.

Conducted by Kelly Watkins, adjunct professor of music, both the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band presented four selections at the combined concert.

The Eastern Wind Ensemble is the newest instrumental ensemble at Eastern and is designed to provide students with a unique, student-centric instrumental playing experience. Wind Ensemble is open to any student at Eastern who plays a woodwind/ brass or percussion instrument with previous playing experience. This ensemble performs music from the wind ensemble and chamber winds repertoire as well as more contemporary works.

The Wind Ensemble opened the show with Shelley Hanson’s “Patapan” (or “Pat-a-pan”) a French Christmas carol about the birth of Jesus Christ. The piece is told from the perspective of shepherds playing flutes and drums which are meant to mimic the sound of a drum. This rhythmic piece brought energy to the start of the concert.

The ensemble also performed the bright and classic “Bugler’s Holiday” by Leroy Anderson, one of the most famous trios for trumpet ever written. Despite being originally scored for a trumpet trio and orchestra, it has been performed by groups of nearly every instrument imaginable.

Eastern Concert Band is a unique blend of over eighty musicians comprised of Eastern Connecticut State University students, faculty, alumni, local music educators, and talented musicians from the greater Eastern Connecticut area. Performance repertoire includes classic band literature as well as challenging works from contemporary composers.

The Concert Band opened their portion of the show with a rich and energetic rendition of “Festive Fanfare for the Holidays” by James Curnow. This piece was based on the carol “Joy to the World” and brought added energy and joy to the holiday-themed program.

The ensemble also wowed the audience with their performance “Silent Night in Gotham” by Franz Gruber, a unique and colorful version of the classic “Silent Night.”

The Music Program presents a full season of concerts and recitals designed to entertain audience members to a diversity of styles and eras.