Music

Sunday's performance by the Maryland Symphony Orchestra had a decidedly different sound to it as the group offered its rendition of music from “West Side Story.” Among the highlights was the emphasis on percussion, and the instruments were varied. There was a rainstick, which simulated falling rain, and another instrument that was meant to re-create the sound of thunder. “You will hear a lot of sounds you would hear in nature,” Maryland Symphony Orchestra percussionist Julie Boehler told a crowd before Sunday's show.

I was listening to '70s music last week. It wasn't entirely my fault, because the alt-country station I normally listen to was airing some protracted interview, and aging, rehabbed cowboys aren't always the most effective form of entertainment. So for some reason, I got the idea that I'd switch over to the station that plays all the hits from when I was an early teen to see if the pop music of the day was really as bad as I remembered it to be. Teen music is complex, and quite possibly regional.

Voices filled Five Forks Church north of Waynesboro on Sunday during a visit from the 160-member National Christian Choir. Audience members filled the auditorium and spilled into the hallway for the performance featuring contemporary Christian music, hymn arrangements, gospel songs and a cappella moments. “It's more of a worship service rather than a concert where the audience sits detached,” said Kathy Bowman, director of music and ministries for the choir. Started in 1984, The National Christian Choir rehearses weekly in Rockville, Md., during the school year.

The Waynesboro Area Middle School came alive with music last Saturday night. Waynesboro Communities That Care (CTC) hosted the fourth annual Waynesboro “You Have Talent” talent show and 19 contestants sang and danced for the audience. Four dance groups performed, including one solo dance act, and seven singers took the stage. Music ranged from ballet numbers to One Direction songs. Participants were judged in four categories: Grades kindergarten through five, grades five through eight, and grades nine through 12 for individuals; and a group category for other performances.

Deadlines for Nightlife and karaoke, open mics, DJs, trivia listings is noon Friday for the next Thursday's edition. Send items to lifestyle@herald-mail.com . Call Lifestyle editor Crystal Schelle at 301-791-7136. Thursday, April 18 The Allstars Band Open jam session with guest host Ted C, 8 p.m. to closing, Crazy Horse Steakhouse and Saloon, 116 Railway Lane, Hagerstown. 301-791-2611. Friday, April 19 Annie & Chris Rock, 8 p.m. to midnight, Dewey's Pub, (formerly Leitersburg Hotel)

Gabriela Lena Frank's “Three Latin American Dances” is the second work on the MSO's weekend program. The Berkeley, Calif.-born pianist and composer's multicultural heritage has always been at the center of her music, according to biographical information. Her mother is of mixed Peruvian-Chinese ancestry, and her father of Lithuanian-Jewish descent. “She has traveled extensively throughout South America and her pieces reflect and refract her studies of Latin-American folklore,” Frank's bio says, “incorporating poetry, mythology and native musical styles into a Western classical framework that is uniquely her own.” Frank, 40, just completed a two-year stint as composer-in-residence with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Emmanuel Chapel , Smithsburg, The Down Home Gospel Singers, By Faith and The Bluegrass Travelers will perform from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Here I go again. Although I've said many times that I'm not a "music writer," I often find myself writing about music. Well, of course. I've been previewing Maryland Symphony Orchestra concerts for years. But here and now, I'm talking about my column that runs the first Sunday of every month in Lifestyle. Even a quick glance at the archives reveals how often I reference song titles or lyrics to make a point. No, I am not a "music writer" in the technical sense of the term.

So picture this: You go to the movies and there is no soundtrack accompanying the film. No music to set the scenes, to enhance the moods, to heighten the suspense. Do you think the impact would be the same as if there were a musical score to guide you from plot point to plot point, from emotional lows to highs, from nerve-wracking action to calm? Not likely. If you have seen any of these films - "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Jaws," "War Horse," "Jurassic Park," "Hook," "JFK," "Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Last Ark" and "Star Wars" - try to imagine what the experience might have been without their music.