By: Nora Warner
Photo and Video: Nora Warner
Last Thursday night, a group of WAHS band students had the incredible opportunity to meet and perform with the renowned jazz group Lucky Chops at the University of Scranton.
The participating students were:
Alan Fogelsanger, Katelyn Foster, Sara Kovacs, Laela Landon, Winifred Morrison, Joseph Tighe, Carlos Urgiles, Maya Walek, and Sara Warner
Formed in 2006, as high school students in New York City, the group has a passion for sharing joyful music. Lucky Chops began performing professionally in 2014 through surprise performances in city subway stations. Viral clips from these events are how the group became well-known today. The group consists of Alto and Baritone Saxophones, trumpet, trombone, tuba, and drum set. Lucky Chops has performed in 25 countries and released several albums and singles.
Wallenpaupack students traveled to the University of Scranton after school on Thursday for the event. First, they rehearsed the grand finale piece, a collaboration between the University of Scranton Jazz band, Lucky Chops, and students from Wallenpaupack Area and Wilkes-Barre Area High School, called “It’s Pizza Day.” The students then had the opportunity to ask the group questions. Before the concert, the students enjoyed dinner at the University’s dining hall.
The concert started at 7:30 in the Houlihan McLean Center, the university’s performing arts space. Our group received front row seats for the performance. Along with this performance, the university hosts many guest artists and student performances with free admission.
Lucky Chops performed many of their hit songs, including Danza, Best Things, and arrangements of classic songs like I Want You Back. The performance was very interactive, with dancing and cheering being highly encouraged. Attendees could tell everyone was having a great time, which was a powerful reminder of the joy music brings. From dancing, cheering, and innovative jazz techniques, there’s something everyone can enjoy in their performance. If you haven’t seen this group perform, I highly recommend looking them up.
At the end of the performance, the University of Scranton Jazz band, along with their guests from Wallenpaupack and Wilkes-Barre, took the stage to perform the finale. There is a clip from the performance in the article, and you can see the full piece on the WAHS band YouTube @wallenpaupackband. The entire group received a standing ovation. At the end of the concert students had more time to talk with the band and get autographs. The group would like to thank the University of Scranton and its music directors, Cheryl Boga and Janelle Decker, for giving this amazing opportunity to our students.
