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Nov. 10, 2005

Wind Ensemble Presents Christmas Music Concert

ÍřĆŘĂĹ Wind Ensemble will present a concert on Wednesday evening, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Brown Auditorium on the ÍřĆŘĂĹ Campus.  There is no admission charge for this concert.  Principal conductor of the ÍřĆŘĂĹ Wind Ensemble is Derle R. Long.

The program for this performance has taken on a “pops concert” flavor in anticipation of the upcoming Christmas music season.  The ensemble will play three Christmas favorites, including Percy Grainger’s “Blithe Bells,” which is based on J. S. Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze,” and a beautiful setting by Alfred Reed of the traditional Christmas ballad “Greensleeves.”  The third Christmas tune will be a performance of “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch” from the movie How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Guest vocalist for this performance will be Louis Nabors, a member of the vocal faculty at ÍřĆŘĂĹ.  Guest conductor for “Blithe Bells” will be Dr. Michael Spears.

Louis Nabors has performed with the Arizona Opera Company, Houston Grand Opera, and Los Angeles Opera companies and currently is on the roster of the Shreveport Opera Company. He has performed as soloist and recitalist throughout the country and in Europe and is a board member and performer with the Houston Ebony Opera Guild.  A frequent adjudicator at state and regional NATS competitions, Mr. Nabors teaches voice and trains the Interdenominational Ensemble, ÍřĆŘĂĹ’s gospel group.  

Michael Spears is well known in the region as former Director of Bands at West Monroe High School. He remains a member of the band staff at West Monroe High School and serves as assistant conductor of the Twin Cities Community Band. Spears is in demand throughout the county as a marching and wind band adjudicator and clinician.  He is very active in the music ministry at First Baptist Church of West Monroe.

The centerpiece of this concert is a piece called “The Star Wars Trilogy.”  It is a collection of music from the first three Star Wars movies, including “The Imperial March,” “Princess Leia’s Theme,” “Yoda’s Theme,” and “The Battle in the Forest.”  Rounding out the program will be the exciting Franz Von SuppĂ© overture “Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna,” Dimitri Shostakovich’s “Folk Dances,” and to end the concert, John Philip Sousa’s “White Rose March.”
 
For more information, contact the ÍřĆŘĂĹ Band Office at 318-342-1594 or visit the band website at ulm.edu/music/band.

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