Symphonic Band to perform

Northwestern College’s Symphonic Band will present a concert on Friday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The public is invited to attend.

Directed by Dr. Timothy McGarvey, the 57-member band will perform six pieces representing a wide variety of styles and composers. “I am looking forward to this concert because it is a wonderful collection of pieces that takes the listener on a spectacular journey,” McGarvey said.

The band will open its performance with Variations on a Shaker Theme, taken from Aaron Copland’s famous Appalachian Spring. Next will be Concertino for Flute and Wind Ensemble by Keith Gates, which features soloist Katie Hielkema, a junior music major from Gahanna, Ohio.

“I am really excited to have this opportunity to perform,” says Hielkema. “We are playing a wide range of music that has helped broaden everyone’s musical experience. It has been rewarding to see the progress we have made over the semester.”

The concert will continue with Dana Wilson’s Dance of the New World, which was written in celebration of the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ historic voyage and captures the spirit of the awakening of the new world. Other selections include Donald Grantham’s Baron La Croix’s Shuffle, a laid-back jazz-inspired shuffle piece, and Martin Ellerby’s Paris Sketches, a four-movement piece that pays homage to different parts of the French capital. The band will close with Wedding Dance by Jacques Press, a high-energy piece that has a Jewish feel to it.