violin
Taravella HS 2006
Flute
Kennesaw Mountain HS 2005
Rhodes says the group had decided to involve pianist Jessica Plude even before finalizing its show design. “Our soloist is a gifted musician. She took a stark soundtrack and actually wrote the piano parts that she played to accompany it. We recorded her playing the piece in the event she was unable to attend rehearsals, but she played live at each performance.” Having a grand piano-sized obstacle did present some staging challenges, however. “We designed the floor and programmed the show with the pianist as the centerpiece,” Rhodes says. “Show designer John Lemire did a fantastic job utilizing the space on the floor to move the performers around the piano and bring it into focus during sensitive places in the music. We did have power cables to contend with, but we did our best to conceal them. Truthfully, setting up all the electronics before each performance was probably the most nerve-wracking part of the show for me. I can sympathize with our percussion ensemble friends who set up multiple electronic devices and amplified instruments on a regular basis!” The floor for that program was designed to look like a large ribbon, echoing the ribbons worn by people supporting important causes. “Several of our staff members Brass and students faced some pretty Braddock Independent tough losses over the course of a 2003 couple of years leading up to the 2011 season, and others were dealing with friends and family members who were battling various serious illnesses,” Rhodes says. “We were inspired to celebrate and to pay tribute to them.” The show’s combination of music and imagery made a deep emotional connection, moving both performers and many in the audience to tears. “This show was the first opportunity many of our members had to really experience how color guard performance can be about more than just putting on a show for a crowd,” Rhodes says. “They were paying tribute to some of the most special people in their lives ... The tears were coming from a pretty raw place.” Ultimately, the playing of DiCillo, Plude, and other pioneering instrumentalists didn’t show up directly on the scoresheet. But they all added something special to their groups’ performances.
“Nick’s ability to not only play but communicate while producing such a beautiful sound really made the program very special.”
moments in the choreography.” A flute can be mobile, but grand piano is a different story. In their 2011 production “Hope,” Trumbull HS used what looked to be a full-sized grand—an illusion created by some ingenious prop design. “We placed an electronic keyboard in the shell of a baby grand piano, so we were able to amplify the sound through speakers that were placed around the piano on the floor,” says director Ray Rhodes. “We set levels with the sound engineer at each show that would match the levels we set for the pianist. She was also able to adjust volume from the floor when needed.” 24 wgi focus
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