The Grace College Festival of Music announces two highly anticipated upcoming concerts: the Symphony of the Lakes Patriotic Concert on Friday, July 3, at 8 p.m. at the Miller Sunset Pavilion, and the Village at Winona Jazz Fest on Saturday, July 25, 11:30-3:30 p.m., at the Rodeheaver Auditorium. Both events are free and open to the public.
This year’s Symphony of the Lakes Patriotic Concert features Grace College Worship Arts Professor Dr. Wally Brath playing Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” piano concerto with the symphony. The song is one of the most recognizable American compositions of all time, played thousands of times in concert halls, used in movies and was the theme for American Airlines ads for years. Originally commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman in 1924, Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” blends jazz, ragtime and classical elements into an innovative piece that reflects the diversity of our great country.
“I am excited for the opportunity to learn and perform this 25-minute piano concerto, which has been on my musical bucket list for many years,” said Brath. “Diving deep into a piece like this is much like an athlete preparing for a game. I will have spent hundreds of hours researching, listening to and practicing the piece to be ready for the performance on July 3.”
Brath sees the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary as a perfect time to debut the piece, a reflection of the famous line, which says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
“I believe God has given us the arts as a means to experience life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” said Brath. “The world is full of stimuli — the artificial and trivial will stimulate our senses but leave us empty and numb. The transcendent and beautiful will nourish and fill us — and through the Holy Spirit, can heal. I hope our community will experience God’s beauty through the music at the Patriotic Concert, even as we celebrate His faithfulness to our nation these many years.”
Following the Patriotic Concert is the Village at Winona Jazz Fest on July 25, featuring Grammy award-winning drummer Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band. The Fellowship Band was formed in 1997 and originates from the meeting of Brian Blade and Jon Cowherd in 1988 while they were studying at Loyola University in New Orleans. So far, The Fellowship Band has released seven albums: Brian Blade Fellowship (1998), Perceptual (2000), Season of Changes (2008), Landmarks (2014), Body and Shadow (2017), live from the archives (2022) and Kings Highway (2023).
The fest will kick off with Northern Indiana’s longest-running big band, Truth in Jazz, at 11:30 a.m. The Wally Brath quartet will take the stage at 1:00 p.m., featuring Brath on piano, Scott Allen on vibraphone, Clark Sommers of Chicago on bass and Dana Hall of Chicago on drums. Beginning at 3:00 p.m. Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band will take the stage.
For more information on upcoming concerts, visit www.grace.edu/musicfestival/.
