April 21, 2023
K-State band concerts April 23 and 26
Submitted by School of Music, Theatre, and Dance
The K-State band program will present its spring concerts on Sunday, April 23, and Wednesday, April 26, in McCain Auditorium. Both concerts are free to the public.
On Sunday, April 23, the Wamego High School Concert Band, K-State Wind Symphony, and K-State Wind Ensemble will perform at 3 p.m. in McCain Auditorium. The group will perform works by Kevin Day, Cait Nishimura, Clifton Williams, Michael Daugherty, Percy Grainger, Aldo Forte, Karl King and Peter Meechan. The Wind Ensemble concert will feature composer Forte for the United States premiere of his Sinfonia No. 1. The concert will showcase Chris Hovis, undergraduate student in music education and tuba performance, on Daugherty's "Reflections on the Mississippi.
Guest conductors for this concert will be Jay Gilbert on Grainger's "Colonial Song" and Scott Freeby on Carl King's "Robinson's Grand Entree."
Finally, all three ensembles will perform Meechan's "Song of Hope," featuring John Kilgore, teaching assistant professor, on solo trumpet.
The Wind Ensemble is under the direction of Frank Tracz, director of bands, and the Wind Symphony is under the direction of Alex Wimmer, assistant director of bands. The Wamego High School Concert Band is under the direction of Chris Richmond, K-State alumnus.
On Wednesday, April 26, the Concert Band and University Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. in McCain Auditorium. The Concert Band will begin by performing works by Jay Coles, Larry Daehn, JJ Richards, and Dana Wilson. The Concert Band will be conducted by graduate students Olivia Bazanos, Cally Bitterlin, Tyler Lee and Preston Thomas.
The University Band will follow, performing works Brian Balmages, Julie Giroux, Anne McGinty and others. The University Band is primarily comprised of music education majors performing on secondary instruments, and it's conducted by junior and senior education majors. This experience provides them with opportunities that will better prepare them for student teaching.