Last Tuesday, on July 9, the Waterford Community Band performed one of their summer concerts aside the Mystic River in Downtown Mystic. Their previous concert was cancelled due to stormy weather, and this concert was about to be cancelled as well, but fortunately the rain held for the evening so the citizens of Mystic could enjoy some of the band's music.
Soundtracks from movies such as Ratatouille, Chicken Run, and Looney Tunes were performed, along with American Folk Rhapsody and one of the band's favorites, Prestissimo. Prestissimo can be performed either in a slower march or in a faster galop, and the conductor, Mr. Wilson, is always eager to push the band to play at the fastest galop possible.
Ryan Vitko, a senior next year at Waterford High School, joined the Community Band several weeks ago. He has been in the school band since fourth grade, and he is accustomed to the school concerts. The Community Band organizes their concerts differently, with more spontaneous decisions, and their concerts are more festive than school ones.
"It felt more casual. I liked how we played more for people who just wanted to hear music rather than for parents who were there because their kid performed," he said. Since it was his first concert after only a few rehearsals, it was more difficult for him than the others to play. "There was the whole issue of seeing half of the music for the first time," he explained.
The Community Band's next concert will be on July 22 at 7 PM, free for the public, at Ocean Beach, 1225 Ocean Ave., New London.
