Each band will play a set of pieces, ranging from contemporary music to classic marches written by renowned composers such as Karl L. King.
The band program consists of two concert bands: the Symphonic Band, directed by Bob Thalhuber, and the audition-only Wind Ensemble, directed by Steve Mathews. Typically, the majority of the Symphonic Band is comprised of sophomores and juniors, playing junior high and high school level music, while the Wind Ensemble is considered an upper-level group made up of mainly juniors and seniors, which plays high school as well as college level literature.
The concert will feature the Jefferson Junior High School ninth grade band, under the direction of Jaime Canepa. Also, University of Missouri-Columbia graduate student Tyler Edwards will direct one of the Symphonic Band’s pieces, since he has been working with the group for the past couple of months as a student teacher.
Though junior Hannah Krogman plays percussion for the Symphonic Band, she said she still appreciates the experience and the friendships she has made there after moving here from Wisconsin this summer. For her, although the music is “easy,” the people she connects with and the musicality she can put into her playing makes the atmosphere more enjoyable.
“My favorite part about Symphonic Band is how much fun we have. We may not play the hardest music, but I have a lot of fun and love the people in it,” Krogman said. “Although our music is easy, it is still fun to play and experiment with. I am able to focus on musicality instead of focusing on just the notes.”
By Alyssa Sykuta
The Symphonic Band will play
- On a Cold Winter’s Night (Swearingen)
- Troika (Prokofiev)
- Three Kentucky Sketches (O’Reilly)
The Wind Ensemble will play
- Vesuvius (Ticheli)
- Christmas Music for Winds (Cacavas)
- Overture on an Early American Folk Hymn (Smith)
- Air for Band (Erickson)
