Burke Youth Wind Symphony tunes up for April 19

Students from across Burke County are practicing dragging bows across cellos and pinching their lips around saxophone reeds, ready to send the audience soaring during the Burke Youth Wind Symphony’s free concert, “Visions of Flight,” on Sunday, April 19.

Directed by Jim Kirkpatrick, the instructor of music at the North Carolina School for Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), the symphony’s performance will be at 3 p.m. at the CoMMA (City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium).

“This culminating performance of the ensemble’s inaugural season explores the many dimensions of flight — historical, mechanical, cinematic, and imaginative,” Kirkpatrick said.

Since February, juniors and seniors from NCSSM and all four local county high schools practiced arrangements reflecting falcons, World War II aircraft, dragons, and even space travel, including selections from films such as “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Kirkpatrick explained that the NCSSM-Durham alumnus and NASA astronaut Christina Koch’s selection for NASA’s Artemis II mission inspired the theme of flight. The Artemis II mission, which launched this week, is planned to send humans around the moon for the first time in over half a century.

HOW IT CAME TO BE

This is the second time the symphony has performed, with a fall concert in November marking the first performance. The only requirement for students to join is that they’re already involved in band at their district schools.

Kirkpatrick and Kevin Baxter, vice chancellor of NCSSM and chief campus officer at the Morganton campus, discussed how to use the arts programs at the school to build connections with the community last year.

NCSSM-Morganton opened its doors to its inaugural class in 2022. As the only high school in the University of North Carolina academic system, and sharing the name with a sister campus in Durham, the school still prompts questions from the local community.

With NCSSM being the unfamiliar name in town, Kirkpatrick suggested bridging the gap with other schools through an “honor band.” Once he got the stamp of approval, he and other directors from across the district encouraged band students to get on board.

“We want them to continue playing their instruments, because to be musical is to be human, to be human is to be musical,” Kirkpatrick said. “We don’t want them to give it up after graduation. This organization, Burke Youth Wind Symphony, pretty much plants the seed, to show them how to be part of a community band, or part of a civic organization focused on making music.”

Students didn’t have to audition. If they signed up, they were in.

The only aspect resembling an audition came down to part placements, where Kirkpatrick inserted students where they would succeed the most.

“As you get into high school, you’ll see your seniors are soaking up every minute they can in any ensemble that they can be a part of, auditioned or even not,” said Emily Bumgarner, the band director at East Burke High School.

“As you may know, band kids are 100% invested in being a band student,” Kirkpatrick said. “That’s a common shared experience that creates an automatic connection.”