Pali High Band to Present Final Performance of the Academic Year

The Concert Will Mark the World Premiere of ‘Pacific Grooves’

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

The Palisades Charter High School band will host its Spring Concert—the final concert of the school year—on Thursday, May 19, at 7 p.m. in Mercer Hall.

The event will feature performances from the wind ensemble, symphonic band and percussion ensemble, as well as a special performance by the Paul Revere Charter Middle School Advanced Band.

In celebration of 60 years of Pali High and the Pacific Palisades Centennial, the school commissioned Atlanta-based, award-winning composer Tyler S. Grant to write an original composition for its wind ensemble, Band Director Tyler Farrell said.

“Tyler reached out to me last year about commissioning a piece of music … he wanted to commemorate both of these special occasions in a piece of music for his students to perform,” Grant said to the Palisadian-Post. “This has manifested into this piece called ‘Pacific Grooves.’ This piece is supposed to be a scenic depiction of scenes around Pacific Palisades, so it starts with the surrounding landscapes and mountainscapes … then gets much more defined with Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway.

“I think it will make everybody really excited to celebrate these occasions for the town. It’s a very fun piece [that] allows listeners to paint a picture in their own head of what this community means to them.”

Grant said he handed the piece over to Farrell two months ago and is excited to hear the wind ensemble premiere it at Thursday’s concert.

He also said “Pacific Grooves” will be formally published next year, allowing bands from all over the world to celebrate the piece.

 “Not only does this commemorate this occasion for the Palisades, for Pali High and the surrounding area, but the published copy will have an inscription that the piece was commissioned in honor of the Pali High wind ensemble and designed to depict Pacific Palisades,” Grant explained.

In addition to Grant, Dr. Arris Golden from Michigan State University will be in attendance as a guest conductor, and Cole Davis will be a guest soloist.

“The students have been working hard all year for their performances, and I am so proud of how much we were able to accomplish as a group this year and thankful we are able to enjoy making music in person again,” Farrell concluded.

To purchase tickets, visit go.palihigh.org/gofan.