First Annual Spring Pops Community Appreciation Concert

(Watch and listen to an audio slide show from the event.)

There hardly could have been a better day for a concert in the park.

The Cary High School band program wrapped up an active year Sunday with a Spring Pops Community Appreciation Concert at Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park.

Concert organizers plan for it to become an annual event. This is the first time the band has held such an event at the amphitheater, though in the past it has held similar concerts at Meymandi Hall in downtown Raleigh.

"This is a wonderful idea, giving back to the community," said Patti Maxwell, mother of trombonist Richard Maxwell, a junior in the Jazz Ensemble.

Maxwell said she hopes to see the event grow and for more community members to attend. About 300 friends and family members attended.

"It would be a really nice thing for people to bring their families out and enjoy an afternoon of music," Maxwell said.

The concert showcased the Jazz Ensemble, Concert Band and Symphonic Band, with each group playing about a 30-minute set of their favorites from the year, including the James Bond theme, music from "The Incredibles" and "Somewhere" from "West Side Story."

The concert wrapped up a jam-packed year for the Cary High band program.

From marching band season in the fall and the trips and competitions that come with it, to the Jazz Ensemble and Symphonic Band's performance at Lincoln Center in New York City over spring break, it has been a busy year for the students and their parents.

On March 26, the bands presented a program entitled "An Afternoon in the Big City" in Alice Tully Hall at the prestigious Lincoln Center, including the works of George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Leonard Bernstein.

"I get a break now," said freshman Connor Bunting, a drummer with the concert and marching bands. He said the spring pops concert marked the beginning of a welcomed hiatus until marching band season picks up in July. "I can stop memorizing things!"

But for some students, the concert was more than an end-of-the-year celebration. The performance served as a form of closure for some of the 25 band students who will graduate from Cary High in two weeks.

"It has been, like, my life," said senior Mary Katherine Snead, a senior who has played flute in the marching, concert and symphonic bands.

"This is my last concert," Snead said. "It's really a great way for everyone to come together."

Snead said her four years in the band have been extremely rewarding.

"It's where I made all my friends and spent all my time," she said. "It's really been the best high school experience."