Despite term papers looming and finals just around the corner, the Colgate Student Wind Ensemble will put away their books, take out their instruments and gather in the Chapel on Tuesday, December 5 for their annual winter performance. The production, entitled “Hear it. See it. Live it.” will begin at 8:00 p.m. and will feature five acts with an intermission after the first two and a reception to follow. Snacks will be provided.

Senior Emily Good, president of the Wind Ensemble, said that the group putting on the performance is comprised of students who like to get together and play music for fun.

Founded only three years ago, the Colgate Student Wind Ensemble is completely student-run and conducted by music majors. Its membership, which started at 15 players, has now increased to average between 30 and 40.

“We have to create a concert repertoire and research and purchase new instruments,” Good said. “We also own a library of music.”

Good said that this upcoming performance will be unlike anything the group has done in the past. Advertised as an exploration of art through music, the production will incorporate video displays, colored lighting and art work to create a visual experience for the audience alongside the sounds of the instruments.

“The video was created by senior art students to coincide with the emotions in the music,” Good said.

The works of art to be displayed are the creations of third graders from Hamilton Central School.

“We played a Peter and the Wolf Concert for them and they created 3-D paintings,” Good said.

The group will play this rendition of Peter and the Wolf, a childhood favorite, again on Tuesday as the second act of their performance. The act will feature a narrator and the different instruments representing different animals. The first act will be The Epic of Gilgamesh.

“This is a powerful piece trying to portray the journey of Gilgamesh,” Good said. “It contains intricate rhythms and emphasizes big moments.”

The third act, entitled Scenes from the Louvre, is comprised of several parts to mimic walking through the actual museum gallery and observing different paintings.

“A Christmas theme is entwined with the Nativity Paintings,” Good said.

The fourth act will contain a medley of selections from the renowned repertoire of Phantom of the Opera, and the performance will conclude with Sleigh Ride, a classic winter favorite to leave the audience in a festive mood.

Good hopes that the performance will attract a big crowd.

“By incorporating different departments and the Hamilton schools, we are hoping to get [Hamilton residents] and school-children there,” she said. “It’s also a great study break for students.”

Sophomore Brittany Garland, treasurer of the Wind Ensemble, said that she is looking forward to the performance.

“I’m really excited that we are incorporating visual effects because it is something we haven’t done before,” she said. “It will be interesting to see how that goes.”

Junior Allyssa Walsh, a member of the wind ensemble, is also excited for the event and the effect it will have on those who come to watch.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun and get everybody in the holiday spirit,” she said.