March 8, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — The DePauw University Band performs its first concert of the spring term this Sunday, March 13, at 3 p.m. in the Green Center for the Performing Arts, Kresge Auditorium. The program, which is free and open to the public, will feature a rich selection of traditional and unique works for symphonic band and wind ensemble.
It is requested that, if possible, those attending the performance
donate one non-perishable food item. All items will be given
to the Putnam County Emergency Food Pantry. 
Needed items include canned
vegetables and fruit, canned meats, individually boxed cereals,
powdered milk, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce.
Sunday's concert selections will include: the Overture from Russlan and Ludmilla, a Russian opera by Mikhail Glinka, Dance of the New World by Dana Wilson, and contemporary works such as Crossing Parallels by Kathryn Salfelder and Country Band March by Charles Ives. Always an audience favorite, John Philip Sousa’s Black Horse Troop will be performed, and the concert finale will Symphony in B-flat by Paul Hindemith, a thematic, precise, and beautiful prominent piece written for band.
“Hindemith’s Symphony in B-flat is considered to be one of the cornerstones in the wind band’s repertoire,” shares Craig Paré, professor of music and conductor of the University
Band. “It is well respected, highly-regarded, and revered; not only for its strengths as a musical composition, but also because it was one of the first pieces of music decidedly composed for Band in the twentieth century. When a composer of Hindemith’s stature created a piece of this scale solely for band instruments, it signaled to composers around the world that new works needed to be written for this medium that had, for years, relied primarily on orchestral transcriptions for its repertoire.”
Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Curry, commander of the United States Army Band, commissioned this composition to be written by Hindemith in 1951. Its first performance was in Washington, D.C. the same year, and was conducted by the composer.
DePauw's student radio station, WGRE, will broadcast the concert on a tape-delayed basis at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Listen at 91.5 FM or via this link.
Founded in 1884, the DePauw University School of Music is one of the oldest in the nation and has an established tradition of educating leaders in virtually every facet of music, including performers, educators, composers and administrators. Learn more here.