September 19, 2022 – Playing as a winds chamber music ensemble, Santa Fe College (SF) band students will perform their first concert of fall term, “Winds and Classics,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, in the Lyceum Concert Hall (renovated Building E Auditorium) at the Northwest Campus, 3000 NW 83rd Street, Gainesville.
Tickets are free for this general admission concert and are available from the Fine Arts Hall box office at 352-395-4181 or online from Showpass.
“We have great talent in our small group this term,” explained SF Associate Professor of Music and Band Director David L. Smith, who will conduct the musicians. “These students are eager and open to performing as a chamber music ensemble, which requires a high level of musicianship and focus. The group is small but mighty in skills and heart!”
On the program are “Seventeen Come Sunday,” the opening movement from “English Folk Suite” by Ralph Vaughn Williams; “A Little Tango Music,” a short sequence of melodies inspired by that dance from Argentina; “At Morning’s First Light,” a modern piece that captures the beauty and serenity of daybreak; and “Declaration Overture,” which was written for the USA’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976.
The eight students who will perform come from different SF programs. Some are traditional music majors, some are from the high school dual enrollment program, and some are from other programs and simply wanted to play in a band.
“They’re from different walks of life but they’re all grateful for the opportunity to perform and they all take music as an art form very seriously,” Smith added. “Performing together helps students learn how to work within a group and encourages creativity and problem solving. Those are skills that will help them throughout their lives, which is one reason why the arts are such an important part of a traditional liberal arts education.”
The Band program at Santa Fe College offers opportunities for students to perform classical music, rhythm and blues, jazz and popular music, as well as to accompany the Choral Music program’s Santa Fe Singers in concerts such as fall term’s “Songs of the Season” and spring term’s “Sing Into Spring.”
“Winds and Classics” is sponsored by the Santa Fe College Fine Arts and Entertainment Technology Department. For more information about the Band program or the concert, contact Smith at (352) 395-5313. For more information about tickets, call the SF Box Office at 352-395-4181.