Month: October 2017

The Northwest Wind Symphony launches its 27th season on Saturday, October 21st, with a show entitled “America”.  This season’s performances, under the theme “National Interests”, will feature respectively the music of America, France, and Italy.  “America” will include music by Stamp, Della-Joio, Turrin, Brian Balmages, and Warren Benson.  The evening’s entertainment will also include a favorite Samuel Barber march and a not quite as well known march by John Philip Sousa.

Joining Dr. Dan Schmidt on the podium as guest conductor this evening will be Mike Simpson.  Mike is an active conductor, arranger, clinician, and soloist throughout the Pacific Northwest. He began his training with Wayne Timmerman in the Olympia public schools, and continued his education at the Univ. of Washington where he received a B.A. in Music, a B.A. in Education, and a Masters in Teaching. Mike has been a band director at Renton, Lindbergh, and Kentwood High Schools and just retired after 38 years of teaching. Mike’s accolades include “outstanding secondary teacher” (Renton Schools), “outstanding teacher” (Kentwood High School), and a Grammy Award for his outstanding Music program at Kentwood High School. He has been a regional Horn artist with the Northwest Horn Society, a contributing artist for the International Horn Symposium in Brazil, and won the Jazz Improvisation competition at the international Horn Symposium in Memphis, Tennessee. Mike maintains an active horn studio and conducts the Renton City Concert Band.

Tickets may be purchased for $12 at the door, or in advance from Book ‘n’ Brush in Chehalis. Students are free with paying adult. All concerts begin at 7 pm at the Corbet Theatre on the Centralia College campus. For more information, please visit www.northwestwindsymphony.org.

In this sometimes-turbulent world of social, political, and economic tensions, nations commonly turn inward focusing on their own interests.  When confronted with strife, nations all too often cocoon into a defensive posture and focus on their own agendas–that can be a negative position.

However, an “inward focus” can also be a very good thing:  one that instills in the hearts of citizens those attributes of their society that makes their country unique and colorful!  In music, we simply call this trait “nationalism,” i.e.  when composers focus on folk dances or musical genres that have either emanated from or are associated with their particular culture, e.g. German dances, Polish or Bohemian polkas, American jazz, South and Central American “Latin infused music.”

This season will focus on music from three distinct countries: America, France, and Italy.  As we focus on music that composers from these three countries offer, perhaps we can also appreciate what makes each country wonderfully unique in this world.