The world renowned musical group Barrage released a CD in 2008 titled High Strung. In it, they have a collection of great songs, like “Road to Russia,” a collection of Russian folk songs, as well as “Devil’s Nightmare,” one of my favorite songs they perform. “Devil’s Nightmare” begins with one of the five amazing violinists in Barrage playing a solo that’s fast and beautiful enough to give anyone chills the first few times they hear it. There isn’t song on this album I wouldn’t want to listen to.

On April 12, Barrage came to Kettering Fairmont High School on one of their educational tours. On these tours, the Canada-based group travels to schools all over the country and performs with and for the students and citizens of the town. I went to the performance at Fairmont and got to play “Calypso Jam” on stage with Barrage and the rest of Fairmont’s Philharmonic Orchestra. Hearing them live is an experience I won’t forget; when they played for us they were amazing, bouncing around the stage and playing beautiful pieces. They involved the audience in a creative way by having them clap syncopated beats  in “Road to Russia,” gradually speeding up until the clappers’ hands were on fire. Playing with them was a blast, and I’m happy I attend Fairmont so I could have this chance. The High Strung album was a good buy; now I have to hunt down their other albums.