Symphonic Band to perform concert

Northwestern College’s Symphonic Band will perform a concert on Friday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

The 49-member band, directed by Dr. Timothy McGarvey, professor of music, will play a variety of 20th and 21st century works at the concert. “The Promise of Living” by Aaron Copland explores the spiritual connection between farmers and their land. “Circus Polka” was written by Igor Stravinsky for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Other pieces to be performed include a collection of folksongs called “Lincolnshire Posy” by Percy Grainger, a modern adaptation of the “Earl of Oxford’s March” by Gordon Jacob, “Hold This Boy and Listen” by Carter Pann, “Colorado Peaks” by Dana Wilson and Leonard Bernstein’s “Four Dances from West Side Story.”

The Symphonic Band has performed across the U.S. and in Central and South America. The ensemble toured in the Pacific Northwest last spring.

Director McGarvey joined the faculty in 1989 and received the Northwestern Teaching Excellence Award in 1994. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in wind conducting from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. McGarvey also earned a Master of Music degree in instrumental conducting at Western Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree in music education at Taylor University in Indiana.