USHS Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band
2024 USHS Wind Ensemble
2024 USHS Symphonic Band
The 2023-2024 USHS Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble continue to be the premier instrumental ensembles at Upper Sandusky High School. Each year, these ensembles extend our tradition of excellence in performance.
In March of 2020, we're excited to present the world premiere of a new piece for band, written for the USHS Bands by Randall Standridge. Come out to Upper Sandusky High School on Sunday March 8th at 2:30pm to hear ARISE by Randall Standridge along with outstanding performances by all of the USHS bands and choirs!
Arise
by Randall Standridge
Commissioned by the Upper Sandusky Music Boosters for the USHS Bands. This is the Upper Sandusky Wind Ensemble's premiere performance of the work from March 8, 2020.
The Light Eternal
by James Swearingen
This is the Upper Sandusky Wind Ensemble performing at the 2019 Great Lakes Concert Band Festival hosted by Eastern Michigan University.
On February 3, 1943, the S.S. Dorchester, an American troop transport vessel, sank in the icy waters off the coast of Greenland, the victim of a German U-Boat. Of the 904 men aboard, 605 were lost. Among those who perished were four army chaplains, each of a different faith, each called to the same duty. The testimony of the survivors tells the story best: "As overcrowded lifeboats capsized, as rafts drifted away empty and men milled around the deck on the ragged edge of panic, the only fragment of hope came from these four men...and when the life jackets were gone, they gave away their own." As the survivors swam away, they remember the chaplains standing, their arms linked, braced against the slanting deck. They were praying words in prayer in Latin, Hebrew and English, addressed to the same God. "The Light Eternal," based on the well-known hymn, "God of Our Fathers," is a reflective work that musically recounts this magnificent story.
Mystery on mena mountain
by Julie Giroux
This is the Upper Sandusky Wind Ensemble performing their 2020 OMEA Class B Required Selection.
As the work opens, the sun is rising above the mountain top with the main theme representing the power of the mountain itself. An allegro tempo indicates that the children are beginning their climb; a slower section describes their wandering through the foggy morning until a break in the mist reveals a choir of 200 white-robed angels singing and playing golden instrument. Entranced by the music, the children walk on the clouds and accept the invitation of the angels to accompany them to heaven. As the piece closes, the clouds rise and float slowly out of sight, leaving Mena Mountain as it was before.
Bazaar
by Randall Standridge
This is the Upper Sandusky Symphonic Band playing a fun, musical tour of the exotic markets of the Middle East. Experience the aroma of spices and imagine the sight of beautiful fabrics while the sounds of the crowds and laughter fill the air.