Symphonic Band to present concert April 24

The Northwestern College Symphonic Band will perform a concert Friday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

Directed by Dr. Timothy McGarvey, professor of music, the band will perform a variety of pieces, including an arrangement of “Amazing Grace” by Frank Ticheli and “Kirkpatrick Fanfare” by Andrew Boysen.

The band will also perform Mark Camphouse’s “A Movement for Rosa,” which was inspired by the life and story of Rosa Parks. “The composer has essentially written a biography about Rosa Parks’ life,” says McGarvey, “and takes the audience musically through her experiences.”

The band will perform Jan Bach’s “Praetorius Suite: Dances from Tepsichore” during the concert. Michael Praetorius, a famous Renaissance composer, wrote more than 300 instrumental dances. This setting by Bach features four of those dances. 

The concert will also feature the first three movements of “La Fiesta Mexicana” by American composer H. Owen Reed, who was inspired to write the piece after he attended a fiesta in Mexico during his trip there in the 1950s.

“I love the collection for this concert because it takes the audience, as well as the musicians, on this musical journey to different places,” says McGarvey. “It’s beautiful and exciting and offers a lot of variety.”