Fresh off of Spring Break, the Scarsdale Honors Wind Ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Dr. Jason Noble on Tuesday, April 19th. This is not the first time that the Wind Ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall, but it has been over three years since the band has performed at a major venue. 

2020 and 2021 were surreal for everyone, and it certainly was for the Wind Ensemble members, who had to endure two years of “Zoom jail” before returning to in-person rehearsals. Calling this year the “Scarsdale Bands’ Renaissance”, Dr. Noble was incredibly pleased with how the year turned out for the wind ensemble and music program overall. 

The Scarsdale Wind Ensemble goes on tours to renowned venues, such as Carnegie Hall, and international performances regularly. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all tours were put on hold, and it was only after Dr. Noble’s strong persistence and effort that the band was able to perform at Carnegie Hall. 

The wind ensemble invites a guest conductor in addition to a guest composer every time they go on tour, and this time was no exception. To prepare for the concert, Dr. Noble invited Mr. Travis Cross (Chair, Herb Alpert School of Music – UCLA) and Mr. Kevin Day (University of Miami) to rehearse with the band. As Charlie Milberg puts it, “It was an incredible experience getting to work with the two guests. I especially loved Dr. Travis Cross conducting Yesterdance because it was really incredible getting to hear his own input as he conducted the piece,” explained Charlie Milberg ’23. 

On the day of the concert, the band arrived at Carnegie Hall at 2 p.m. to get ready for the concert at eight. Dr. Noble took time to have a dress rehearsal and take group photos together. Then, the band was given free time for a nice three-hour dinner in the heart of New York City. Some members went for a walk in Central Park whereas others stayed in the green room of Carnegie and did their homework. “I absolutely loved playing at Carnegie Hall. I think it’s a night that I’ll remember for the rest of my life, and it was absolutely phenomenal getting to go backstage to see not just the performance hall but also the green rooms. Walking out on Carnegie Hall’s stage was an incredible feeling and it was unbelievable getting to hear everyone play in such a pristine hall,” reflected Milberg.

The repertoire had a theme of re-emergence, representing how we all triumphed over the COVID-19 pandemic. The program consisted of John Mackey’s Undertow, Kevin Day’s newly commissioned River Memoria, Travis Cross’ Yesterdance, and Omar Thomas’ Of Our New Day Begun. River Memoria was commissioned for the band in honor of Dr. Jason Noble as this will be his last year teaching in Scarsdale. 

After 15 years of teaching at SHS, this year will be Dr. Noble’s last year as Scarsdale’s Band Director, then he will become a full-time music educator and conductor at NYU. In all 105 years of Scarsdale High School’s history, there have only been 5 band directors. “It’s definitely the students that I will remember forever. Everyone is so kind, friendly, and caring. I’ve always loved that we are able to play music because we love it and are intrinsically motivated to share our passion for it,” commented Noble.

Referring to the band room as a “musical sanctuary”, Dr. Noble has always enjoyed teaching and never thought of it as work. He describes teaching at Scarsdale as “the best experience” and has learned from this experience as much as the students have. The band’s success was met with a standing ovation by hundreds of people, and the full performance will be replicated again at Scarsdale High School on Tuesday, April 26th.