ORHS percussion competes at championship level first time
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The Oak Ridge High School Indoor Percussion Ensemble presented its story “When the Forest Calls” at the Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, in April. - ORHS WILDBAND
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The Oak Ridge High School Indoor Percussion Ensemble presented its story “When the Forest Calls” at the Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, in April. - ORHS WILDBAND
For the first time, the Oak Ridge High School Indoor Percussion Ensemble competed at the championship level and made it to the Winter Guard International World Championship.
The ensemble placed 10th out of 15 in the competition in Dayton, Ohio. ORHS entered the finals there Friday, April 21. ORHS Assistant Band Director Sean Rutherford said in a press release that the group had been undefeated throughout its winter competitions before going to Dayton.
The ORHS WildBand’s official Twitter account said the percussion ensemble entered finals in 12th place out of 15 competitors before rising to 10th.
“Our students have put in hundreds of hours of practice this season to hone their skills to compete with some of the best groups in the country,” Rutherford said.
“We began practicing at the end of marching band season in November and have had one of the best years in school history.”
The indoor percussion ensemble is an extension of the ORHS band, but it uses only drums and keyboard instruments such as xylophone, marimba and vibraphone.
Indoor percussion combines elements of music, theater and dance to tell a story while moving, sometimes running, around a gym and playing an instrument that can weigh 25 to 30 pounds.
ORHS WildBand’s official Twitter account gave a synopsis of the story tilted “When the Forest Calls.”
“If you expected to take a pleasant stroll through the woods, that wasn’t the outcome you received on an outing with Oak Ridge HS. In their show ‘When the Forest Calls,’ the pit set the scene, a mysterious night deep in the unknowns of the trees.
“Performers used blue ribbons on trees to mark their path, providing a sense of safety in the scariness of the nighttime.
“One tree, in particular, sat in the corner of the floor and called upon a few members of the ensemble, who quickly regretted their decision to answer.
“As it turns out, when the forest calls, bad things happen, as the performers became the forest, sporting tree masks and headpieces, never to escape.
“Thankfully for them, this haunted tale had a happy ending as one soloist managed to remove her mask and place it on the tree, reversing the curse,” the synopsis stated.
A full video of this performance is on YouTube at youtu.be/h5TX6Suef1o.