Wartburg Wind Ensemble European tour to nclude Heywood

The 59 member Wartburg College Wind Band will be giving a concert at Heywood Civic Hall

Wartburg College Wind Band will be giving a concert at Heywood Civic Hall on Saturday 1 May at 7.30pm.

Wartburg College in Iowa, USA has an association with Bamford Chapel United Reformed Church's which goes back many years and the band are being hosted by members and friends of the Chapel during their 2 night stay in the area.

The Wind Ensemble represents the top wind and percussion musicians at Wartburg. The 59-member ensemble includes students in nearly every academic discipline and grade level.

The ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Craig A. Hancock, associate professor of music and director of bands, will embark in late April on a tour that will take them to seven countries during a four-week period.

The itinerary includes London, Liverpool and Rochdale, England; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Zeven, Schwanheim, Muenchberg, Eisenach, Neumarkt, Leipheim and Niederstotzingen, Germany; Salzburg, Austria; Prerov and Prague, the Czech Republic; Luxembourg; and Reykjavik, Iceland.

The repertoire on the tour will feature pieces old and new, European and American, such as “Fanfare and Flourishes” by Curnow, “Light Cavalry Overture” by von Suppe, “America the Beautiful” by Ward, a tribute to Louis Armstrong by Hautvast, “Amazing Grace” by Himes, “Musetta’s Waltz” from “La Boheme” by Puccini, “Lyric Waltz” by Shostakovich and John Philip Sousa marches.

Members of the Wind Ensemble are selected each autumn by qualifying audition and the Wind Ensemble travels extensively, performing off-campus up to four times during the academic year. Each spring the group tours the United States, and every third year it travels abroad for a month-long series of May Term concerts. Beginning in 1973, the trips were to Europe and the group toured Japan on their last tour in 2007.

“What a fantastic opportunity for these young people,” Hancock said. “Though it is a band on tour, with many concerts during our time abroad, the immersion into cultures other than our own is the most important aspect of the trip. It will be a life-changing time for these students.”

Wartburg College is a four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with 1,800 students from 27 states and 39 countries. Music is among the top five majors at the college.

More than 400 students from a variety of majors participate in the college’s vocal and instrumental groups. The college’s music programs receive accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music.

Tickets for the concert are available from Heywood Civic Hall, or by contacting Laura on 01706 713161, Julie on 01706 360129 or Ian on 01706 653109. Tickets cost £6.00 for adults and £3.00 for under 16s.