Page 9 - Reedley Exponent 6-7-18 E-edition
P. 9
The Reedley Exponent BPanorama
Desmadre three-peats as Reedleybasketball champs See B10
Section | Thursday, June 7, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com
A rare musical interlude
RHS Symphonic Band performs with world-renown Joe Hisaishi in San Jose
By Felicia Cousart Matlosz
felicia@midvalleypublishing.com
It’s not overstating it to say that Reedley High School’s Symphonic Band appearance with world-renown composer and conductor Joe Hisai- shi was a once-in-a-lifetime experi- ence.
Just ask the Pirate band mem- bers, directors and parents. Last week, they all still were basking in the ensemble’s exhilarating perfor- mances with Hisaishi and the Sym- phony Silicon Valley for five sold-out concerts May 25-28 in San Jose.
Hisaishi is known for his rich and emotionally riveting scores for films from the revered Studio Ghibli of Japan. Most notably, Hisaishi has worked for more than three decades with legendary animated filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. He’s regarded as one of the greatest directors of ani- mation and won a 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature with “Spirited Away.” The concerts, in fact, were tributes to Miyazaki.
RHS junior Emily Booth, who plays alto saxophone for the Sym- phonic Band, this school year had been a drum major for the high
school’s Pirate Marching Machine. For these performances, she again
“It was like a dream. I was just so proud of our band and what they did."
– RHS junior Emily Booth, member of the Symphonic Band
took on the role of drum major and had to be particularly attuned to
what Hisaishi wanted. The Sym- phonic Band, which has about 50 members, had one rehearsal with the maestro on the afternoon of May 25, just hours before the first concert was presented that night in the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. They also rehearsed with the choirs performing in the shows.
For the five concerts – each be- fore 2,600 people – the RHS Sym- phonic Band performed as part of a 10-minute segment for music from the film “Castle in the Sky.” Booth said the RHS ensemble, which in- cluded RHS marching band direc-
tors, improved with each concert. “It felt like it just passed in a blur,” she said. “It was like a dream. I was just so proud of our band and
what they did.”
Christopher Lopez, also a junior,
was ecstatic to be part of it all. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime op- portunity. It’s not every day you get asked to play for an internationally known composer, in a marching band and doing five shows,” said Lopez, who plays trumpet and already was an admirer of Hisaishi. “It was prob-
See RHS BAND page B5
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
Photo Contributed
The Reedley High School Symphonic Band is pictured here with composer and conductor Joe Hisaishi, whose work includes film scores for legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki. Hisaishi is in the center in the front row, dressed in black. The photo was taken in the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, where Hisaishi conducted five sold-out concerts May 25-28 with Symphony Silicon Valley, choirs and the RHS ensemble. The Reedley High group was featured in all five shows.
ABOVE: Emily Booth, a member of the RHS Symphonic Band, was conductor for the RHS ensemble and is seen here working with con- ductor Joe Hisaishi during a rehearsal in San Jose.
Photo Contributed
RIGHT: Before the Symphonic Band left on May 25 for San Jose, the musicians rehearsed May 24 in the RHS Performing Arts Theatre. Pictured here (from left) are Mercedes Romero, Tyler Collin, Luke Method, Michael Marin, Sam Gipson, one of the marching band di- rectors, Alex Lu (behind) and Melanie Mestre.
See another photo on B10.
It’s been a while, but I’m back with my column.
First, I want
to give a belated
shout-out to the
teams from the
Reedley High
School Book
Club that com-
peted in the Bat-
tle of the Books
held in April for high schools at Fresno Pacific University.
The RHS teams won first, sec- ond and fourth place among 11 teams vying from eight different high schools.
RHS teams have competed since 2014 and placed as high as second. Winning the championship was a
breakthrough.
Dawn Linhoff, the RHS librar-
ian, said she was proud of all three teams: “They were awesome.”
Members of the first-place team are Daisy Porras, Joseph Avila, Ana Calvillo, Itsuri Delgado, Hope Duarte, Maria Lemus, Alexis Villa and Esther Villa.
The second-place team mem- bers are Rosa Corcoles, Ange- lina Belle, Allison Botello, Shelby DiQuirico, Vanesa Martinez, Chey- anne Myers, Leia O’Brien and Em- ma Sjostrom.
Members of the fourth-place team are Citlali Vargas, Ivette Sala- zar, Heavenly Manquero, Stephanie Gonzalez, Tammy Galan, Luis San- tos, Nicolas Banda, Gema Sandoval and Alondra Becerra.
Team members have to read books that will be part of the com- petition. They have to answer ques- tions based on details from all those books.
Battle of the Books is a nation- wide program with the goal, ac- cording to its website, “to encour- age students to read good books and have fun while competing with
See COLUMN page B2
WCMCC puts spotlight on the Valley Oak Quilt Guild through June
The latest exhibit at the West Coast Mennonite Central Committee's museum space features the work of the Valley Oak Quilt Guild, based in Tulare. The display runs through the end of June in the agency's upstairs space at 1010 G St.
To view the display, visit the Mennonite Quilt Center, at 1012 G St., during its hours of opera- tion: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Saturday. (The store is closed on Sunday.) Staff and volunteers can help you access the exhibit. The store's phone number is (559) 638- 3560.
LEFT: The exhibit includes "Savannah," which has a three-dimensional effect. It's based on a design by Toni Whitney. It was pieced, appli- qued and quilted by Nanette Blumer.
See more photos on B10.
Felicia Cousart Matlosz / The Exponent
FeliciaCousartMatlosz/The Exponent
The View From Here
Felicia Cousart Matlosz