Gilroy High School’s wind ensemble to perform at Boston Symphony
Hall
Gilroy – Joey Fortino raised his conductor’s wand for a final time and the musicians abruptly ended the piece. In the suddenly quiet room the Gilroy High School band teacher looked out at his sea of students with obvious satisfaction.
“Imagine that at something like Boston Symphony Hall,” he said.
That’s what the 44-member Gilroy High wind ensemble will experience this weekend when they converge on Boston Symphony Hall and bring their award-winning band’s special brand of music to the famous East Coast venue.
The GHS band will join 21 schools from throughout the nation, including Gilroy’s own Valley Christian High School, at the Boston Heritage Music Festival. Fortino described the event as a kind of hybrid festival because it’s not only a competition, but also a place for the students to showcase their skills.
After asking around, Fortino, who began his tenure at GHS nine years ago, found out that the last long trip the band took was to Canada in the fall of 1997. His students have traveled to various competitions nearby and it was in Southern California two years ago when they were invited to Boston.
For Anthony Dragotto, Boston is quite a familiar place. The 17-year-old trombone player has family in Beantown and will begin school at Boston College this fall.
But this weekend the musician will see a brand-new side the city.
“I am totally excited,” Dragotto said with a smile. “Just the fact that we get to play in a big symphony hall, we’ve never done that before.”
The senior dabbled in band before high school, quit for some time, but then returned as a sophomore and has stayed put since. Dragotto doesn’t plan to pursue a career in music but he does want to stay connected to the art in college.
“I love music and I’ll probably be involved in music (somehow),” he said.
Adam Betita can’t wait to set foot in Boston. He’s never been to the East Coast city before and he’s set on picking up a Boston Red Sox baseball cap from the home of Fenway Park.
Oh, and, of course, he’s pumped about the musical aspect.
“I wanna play in the Boston Symphony Hall because I know it’s good acoustically,” the 15-year-old sophomore said.
While the band practiced on Wednesday, Fortino prepped them for the trip. He reminded the percussionists that they’re going to have to get used to a whole new set of drums quickly since some of the instruments are too awkward and large to place on a plane.
“It’s gonna be a whole different game when we get to Boston,” Fortino said.
He told the horn section to lay a towel over their instruments when the musicians practice in their hotel room to soak up the sound and reminded all the band members to just use common sense when practicing inside.
The band has been raising money for the Boston trip since last year. They staged various fundraisers, such as tamale and garage sales, and received donations. The $45,000 will cover airfare, hotel and the festival costs.
So, now that they’re set financially, does Fortino think his band is ready?
“Musically yes, physically yes, mentally, I’m not so sure,” he said with a laugh.
*Help Send the Band to Boston
45,000 has already been raised to support the band through fundraisers and donations but more help is still needed. To donate, call Joey Fortino at 847-2424.
