Reiland-UJJamestown  (CSi)  On Sunday, December 6, 2015, the University of Jamestown Wind Ensemble will present their semester concert at 2:00 pm in the DeNault Auditorium at the Reiland Fine Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public.

In addition to the performance, the band will be sponsoring a silent auction from 1:00 – 2:00, and a half hour after the concert. Funds raised will be used to fund the band performance tour of Scotland and Ireland in May, 2016.

The concert will be in three sections. The first set will be a tribute to our overseas tour. After a rousing march, Percy Grainger’s arrangement of ‘O Danny Boy’ pays tribute to our time in Ireland. The band will perform in Belfast and Dublin. After a fun British folk tune, “A Scottish Ballade” features the Scottish folk song, ‘Annie Laurie.’ The band will spend time in Edinburgh and perform in St. Andrews.

The second part of the program is dedicated to Christmas! Community member and music professor Dr. Tom Geffre has arranged the classic French carol, “Il est ne, le divin enfant” for percussion ensemble. Afterwards, the band will play the powerful and classic “Russian Christmas Music” by Alfred Reed. It is sure to put your mind in snowy Russia with the ancient Russian carol ‘Carol of the Little Russian Children’ and some themes borrowed from the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The final part of the program will feature mostly new music. Dr. Laura Zamzow-Lynch has arranged an early Baroque instrumental piece titled “Intrada” which means entrance. It sounds regal and features compositional techniques of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Eric Whitacre is a famous contemporary composer and is possibly more well-known for his choral works. His first original work for band is titled “October” and is a beautiful representation of the fall season. Finally, a brand new piece will close the concert: “Joy of Life.” It is mostly fast-paced but also features a beautiful original chorale melody that the composer overlays with the Navy hymn, ‘Eternal Father Strong to Save.’

The University of Jamestown was established in 1883 and is ranked as a top tier regional school in US News and World Report and a top Midwestern school in The Princeton Review. The school features development of the whole person through its distinctive Journey to Success experience.

# # #