The concert featured three groups: the Percussion Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Jazz Ensemble. By the time RMA President Adam Haight ’05 opened the festivities at 4:30 pm, a standing-room only crowd had gathered in the McNeil room.

The Percussion Ensemble took the stage with an impressive array of instrumentation. Everything from a triangle to a vibraphone to a gong was utilized through the course of the evening.

The first piece, “With Joy In His Heart” by David Mancini, was stunning in its melodic quality. The pealing of chimes and the mellow marimbas were interwoven flawlessly with the crisp driving beats of the toms and drumset.

The arrangement of “Amazing Grace” by Richard Albagli evoked all the misty-eyed nostalgia one would expect from this haunting spiritual. It also provided sharp contrast to the next piece, also by Albagli: “A Cuban Street Festival.”

This piece is intended to incorporate hundreds of Cuban street musicians—-a somewhat difficult feat to pull off in Troy, N.Y. So the Percussion Ensemble recruited the audience to emulate claves by clapping their hands, tambourines by stomping their feet, and maracas by slapping their legs. The result was a wondrously invigorating and chaotic piece that left everyone smiling and feeling like they had indeed been part of a festival.

The Symphonic Band ushered in new director Robert Button in spectacular fashion, opening with excerpts from Richard Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger.”

Anyone who’s tried to study in the McNeil Room knows the acoustics are somewhat difficult to work with when the room is full. But this night, the room favored the band. The same acoustical quirks which make talking to your study partner a difficult feat helped create a full and rich sound as the slight overhang acted like a clamshell to direct sound out into the audience. The light woodwinds didn’t lose any of their flowing, lyrical quality as John Philip Sousa’s “Tales of a Traveler” progressed. The last movement evinced the grandeur and pomp of a new city holding the “Traveler” in awe.

The majesty of John Williams’ “A Hymn to New England” complemented this feeling of awe and wonder as well. The band’s final selection, “Hoe Down” from Aaron Copland’s Rodeo is familiar to most as the “Beef: It’s What’s For Dinner” song. Due to the high recognition, it was definitely a crowd favorite.

The capstone for the evening was the performance by the Jazz Ensemble. Director Michael Craner stepped back and let the group shine as they worked their way through a set which would have been at home at the most elite jazz clubs of New York City.

Opening with “Take the A Train,” by Billy Strayhorn, the group immediately settled into a groove—heads began bobbing and toes began tapping across the audience. Jerome Richardson’s “Groove Merchant” followed in a similar easy-going fashion. “Body and Soul,” while written by Johnny Green, was definitely lead alto saxophonist Trevor Tersmette’s work of art this night. Tersmette was featured in this smooth and soothing piece, as well as in the later Dizzy Gillespie hit “Salt Peanuts.”

The Jazz Ensemble as a whole is an amazingly cohesive group, performing everything from improvisational breaks to unison choruses equally well. Even the electric basses and guitar blended well with the rest of the big band sound of Don Menza’s “Groovin’ Hard” to end the evening.