By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
As Otsego High School band director Mitch Piersma was eating breakfast in the early morning hours on Thursday, Dec. 4, his phone rang.
He was hesitant to answer.
“I immediately starting saying, ‘No, no, no,’ before I answered it,” Piersma said.
When he answered, his fears were confirmed: Otsego Public Schools was closed for the day due to icy road conditions.
Would the holiday band concert scheduled for that evening—one scheduled to feature special accompaniment by 1986 OHS graduate Dr. Chris Creviston on a piece composed by ’89 OHS grad Mischa Zupko—also be cancelled?
Luckily, that didn’t happen, as conditions quickly improved and the concert was able to proceed as scheduled.
And Piersma couldn’t have been happier with the way the concert went.
“This concert was literally the best I’ve ever been involved in here at OHS,” Piersma said. “It was unreal how everything came together—not just the songs with Dr. Creviston, but the way our flute choir, concert band and symphonic band performed was outstanding.”
Creviston, a saxophone professor at Arizona State University who also plays professionally, joined the OHS band for two songs. One was a piece titled “Azure Sky” written by Zupko.
This marked the world premiere of “Azure Sky,” as Creviston joined a consortium with OHS and two other high school bands—one in Arizona and one in New York—to commission the piece and gain original rights before it went public.
“Dr. Creviston brought both songs to life, especially the one written by Mischa Zupko,” Piersma said. “The kids had been struggling, as it is hard to make sense of a song when the main soloist isn’t there. Once Dr. Creviston showed up, they really caught on and loved the pieces.”
Having Creviston and Zupko take in Otsego was a treat for Piersma.
“It was unreal,” Piersma said. “Those guys are in a musical class all their own. I am honored that they wanted to write and perform for our symphonic band.”
That sentiment was shared by Piersma’s students and those in attendance.
“The number of comments I received after the concert told me this was one of (the students’) favorite concerts ever,” Piersma said. “Some said it was their absolute favorite. People were quite impressed with everyone.”
The night was capped off by another OHS grad, Nate Taylor.
Taylor, a 1999 OHS grad who works with the band’s drumline, was selected as the winner of the slapstick raffle and was able to join the band for one song.
The slapstick is a percussion instrument.
“Nate always makes things fun and it capped off a perfect night to have another awesome alumni up on stage with our band,” Piersma said.
