March 21, 2022 – Audiences will enjoy a variety of music from different time periods, styles and composers when the Santa Fe College Wind Ensemble performs the annual “Spring Winds” concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31, in the Lyceum (renovated Building E Auditorium) at the Northwest Campus, 3000 NW 83rd Street, Gainesville.
Because of pandemic restrictions, the audience is limited to 70 people. Tickets are free and available from the Santa Fe College Box Office at 352-395-4181 or from Showpass at showpass.com/spring-winds/.
“’Spring Winds’ will showcase the talents of our students and the strengths of this band with a great blend of styles including American music, Latin music and music of the Romantic period,” explained SF Associate Professor of Music and Band Director David L. Smith, who will conduct the Wind Ensemble. “This will be the first indoor performance in the Lyceum with this group of 23 students.”
The Wind Ensemble includes a guest violinist and brass instruments such as horns, trumpets, trombones and tubas, and woodwind instruments such as flutes, clarinets, and saxophones.
The full program of six selections will include:
- “Three Fanfares for a Celebration” by Robert W. Smith, a modern piece.
- “Light Cavalry-Overture” from an operetta by Franz von Suppé, a composer of the Romantic era. The piece was arranged by Henry Fillmore, a mid-20th century composer who worked in Miami. “This will be familiar music because it’s been used in movie themes and commercials,” Smith said.
- “EL Camino Real: A Latin Fantasy” by Alfred Reed, arranged by Robert Longfield. “El Camino Real” means “The Royal Road” or “The King’s Highway.” The music is based on a series of Spanish flamenco chord progressions. “El Camino Real” was first performed in public in Sarasota, Florida, in 1985.
- “America the Beautiful” by Samuel Augustus Ward, arranged by Carmen Dragon. “This is the version that is performed during presidential inaugurations and it’s a great display of this band’s maturity and ability to express themselves at a slow tempo,” Smith explained.
“Spring Winds” is organized and sponsored by the Santa Fe College Fine Arts and Entertainment Media Department.
For more information about tickets, call the SF Box Office at 352-395-4181. For more information about the Wind Ensemble or the college’s band programs, call Smith at 352-381-3823.