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Grainger Military Band To Perform Music of Percy Grainger, Saturday, 9 October, 5:30 P.M. Warner Concert Hall
Story and photo by Michael Chipman
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THE PROGRAM: Children's March: Over the Hills and Far Away Irish Tune from County Derry Lincolnshire Posy All music of Percy Aldridge Grainger |
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The 38-member Grainger Military Band, organized by junior
John Blickwedehl, will play a concert of all-Percy Grainger
music on Saturday, October 9 at 5:30 in Warner Concert Hall.
Blickwedehl, a junior from Orchard Park, New York, is a
music education major with an instrumental and trumpet
emphasis. He decided to organize the group to provide more
voice to wind band music at Oberlin.
"Percy Grainger actually visited Oberlin in 1944 and conducted a concert of his music," says Blickwedehl. "But now the only group that performs wind band literature and Grainger's music is the College Community Winds. The Oberlin Wind Ensemble plays more contemporary music than the music commonly associated with wind ensembles.
"Grainger's music is exremely fun, and his writing, especially for reeds is fantastic. Lately there has been an increase in the interest and study of Grainger's music at many of the nation's music schools, but not yet at Oberlin."
The Grainger Military Band consists of wind, brass and percussion majors from Oberlin Conservatory. Blickwedehl, who has played in bands since he began studying trumpet at age seven says, "I talked to everyone I know in the Conservatory who plays a wind instrument, and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of enthusiastic people who volunteered to play. Almost everyone had been in a band program in their home school districts. At Oberlin there are not enough opportunities to perform in a band, so I thought I would create one."
Blickwedehl spent the summer touring with the the Glassmen, a 128-member international drum corps. He is in his third year with the group.
This concert is free and open to the public.
Back to the Backstage Pass
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