The Grace College Wind Ensemble will perform at the Indiana Music Educators Association Professional Conference at 9 a.m. Saturday, January 17, at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Through an audition process, the band was selected for this special honor. The concert is free and open to the public.
Featured in the performance is Grace College alumnus, Jeremy Smith. Smith is returning to Indiana as the bass trombone soloist for “Blue Bells of Scotland” arranged by John Higgins. Former Grace College Wind Ensemble director, Martin Carey-Becker will return to the podium as a featured guest conductor for “Northern Pines,” a march by John Philip Sousa, dedicated to the well-known summer music camp in Interlochen, Mich., surrounded by beautiful pine trees.
“’Symphonic Dance No. 3,’ nicknamed ‘Fiesta,’ is another central piece of this concert,” said Eric Criss, the ensemble’s director. “Written by Clifton Williams in 1964, ‘Symphonic Dance No. 3’ was commissioned by the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra to celebrate its 25th anniversary. With the sounds of street bands, bullfights and bright costumes, this dance reflects the energy and colors of the city’s many Hispanic celebrations. You won’t want to miss it.”
The Grace College Wind Ensemble repertoire will also include “American Big Top” by Brian Balmages. Largely based on original music, “American Big Top” quotes a wide variety of well-known melodies from “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” to “The Star-Spangled Banner” to “The Entertainer.”
The band will also perform Evening Snow at Kambara from “Bookmarks from Japan” by Julie Giroux and George Gershwin’s “First Prelude” arranged by Hawkins. “Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre will feature pianist Sharon Burke from Plymouth.
The band, which rehearses weekly on the Grace College campus, is a collection of Grace students and Warsaw/Winona Lake community members.
The Grace Wind Ensemble is a part of the Grace College & The Village at Winona Festival of Music. Upcoming concerts include the Worship Arts Faculty Recital on Feb. 28 at Winona Lake Grace Church, the CAP/Lancer Chorus Spring Recital on March 22 at Rodeheaver Auditorium and the Wind Ensemble on March 23 at the Warsaw Performing Arts Center.
