On Tuesday, Nov. 25, the Interfaith Food Bank and Home Town Radio's "A Christmas to Remember" raised a total of $1,500 in food and cash donations as the 6th Grade Honor Band and the Amador-Argonaut Combined Concert Band gave their Holiday Benefit Concert to a standing room-only crowd at Amador High School. Christopher J. Tootle, conductor of both groups, saw his music students receive a standing ovation, which was very well deserved. An intermission highlight was the pie and dessert auction, which netted $891 as Jim Guidi handled the auction with fun and ease, and the concert-goers bid on the wonderful desserts donated by band families and community members. Admission was a suggested donation of at least one non-perishable food item per family. The food was donated to the Interfaith Food Bank the very next day. The huge boxes were overflowing, adding up to a total of $609 worth of food collected. In total, these students brought $1,500 to Amador County.

Additionally, of course, the music was terrific!

This is the second time this calendar year that the Combined Concert Band has appeared. Last spring, the band gave a wonderful performance using the Church of the Nazarene as its venue. I hope more Amador residents will look for future notices of the Combined Concert Band and come out to hear them in the spring. It will be so worth your time to see and listen to these talented musicians who play from their hearts. Mr. Tootle stimulates the students' interest and challenges them with difficult and entertaining music. As usual, they met the challenge! The 6th Grade Honor Band began its portion of the concert with "Let's Go Band!" "Skip it Lou," "Fanfare & Ode to Joy," and finished the performance with "Dragonslayer." After intermission, the combined bands performed "Into the Clouds" by Richard L. Saucedo, "Noel" by Hawley Ades, "Holst Winter Suite" by Gustav Holst and arranged by Robert W. Smith, and completed the concert with "Joy to the World!" arranged by Derric Johnson and transcribed by Mr. Tootle.