The Waynesburg University Fine Arts Department will present a Symphonic Band Mid-Winter Concert Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 5:15 p.m. in the Marsh Center. Admission is free, and the public is cordially invited to attend.
According to Dr. Ronda DePriest, director of the Music Program, this year’s Mid-Winter Concert will be a special one. That is because the Symphonic Band will be able to present to the public material used in the 2018 Conducting Symposium, featuring music by Charles Carter, Aaron Copland, Charles R. Young, Claude T. Smith and John Philip Sousa.
“After a hiatus of four years, our annual Conducting Symposium is back,” said DePriest. “The student members of this year’s Symphonic Band have not had the opportunity to approach our repertoire in this setting during their time at Waynesburg.”
DePriest said the Conducting Symposium gives students the “opportunity to study music in an in-depth manner with professional instrumentalists and an internationally known conductor.”
“We have not presented a concert utilizing this material in the past eight Conducting Symposia, so this will be a treat for our audience and Symphonic Band members alike,” said DePriest.
The concert marks one of the Music Program’s first events of the semester. DePriest said she is looking forward to continuing the program’s work inspiring different musical groups and individuals.
“Our goals continue to be connected to the daily singing and playing of our ensembles and individual musicians,” she said. “I am proud that Waynesburg continues to support these students in terms of offering quality music classes of which the whole student body can be a part. The self-expression that our music students find within themselves and choose to share with others is a pleasure to witness.”
Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three additional sites located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is one of only 22 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.
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