Cordiner Hall was brought to life by the melodious music of the Sampler Concert on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., with parents and kids getting to spend time together and enjoy all the campus ensembles. It provided some wonderful entertainment for the parents along with the assurance about their kids’ improvements, or as professor Gary Gemberling said during the concert, “to make sure your kids still go here.”

Professor Gemberling, who is the director of the Wind Ensemble, told the Wire what he thought of the upcoming concert.

“The Sampler Concert has been going on for a good number of years, I don’t know how long. I am excited about it. I think it is a great opportunity for the students to perform not only for each other but for the parents during parents weekend. It’s kind of a good kickoff to our concert season. Like the title says, it’s a sampling of what all the large groups are going to perform. All the ensembles generally perform in the Chism Hall, so especially for the first year students, it’s a big deal. You have to make some adjustments, it can be intimidating as it isn’t as intimate a space as the recital hall. It also helps to promote the upcoming concerts. I will be there conducting. That’s a role I truly enjoy, what’s special about it for me is just to hear and see how far the group has come from gathering together at the first of the semester because it is different each year — different combinations of instruments, we have new people they find they have to step up a little bit because the seniors are gone. To experience the ongoing growth of not only an individual but of the ensemble as a whole is satisfying.”

Thomas Harris, one of Gary’s students who plays the euphonium, said, “It’s a really good way to sort of get into performing early in the year because most of the ensembles do a concert a semester and besides that one big opportunity to perform on stage it can be hard to find other ways to perform for people. It’s really fun to get ready to perform for other people and helps us think of what kinds of things we should be careful of.”

Another performer, Liam Dubay, who plays the cello in the orchestra said, “It was super fun to see what all of the performing ensembles have been working on. I thought everyone did a great job.”

The sampler concert is enjoyed by performers, parents and faculty alike, and it is also open to the community. If you missed this wonderful chance to hear live music from your peers, you can also view the concert at livestream.com/whitmancollege.