Tuesday night's Wind Symphony concert with composer-in-residence David Maslanka was a triumph (IMHO), featuring the new Sharp Hall pipe organ on both Crown Imperial and Maslanka’s Symphony No. 4, plus some eye-popping euphonium work on The Melody Shop and a lovely performance of the Ron Nelson piece with guest conductor Troy Bennefield. I hope you were there to enjoy it; it was well worth the price of admission!

The second concert of this cycle happens tonight in Sharp Hall, and it’s with infinitely more than the price of admission: everyone gets in free! The Concert Band, under Debra Traficante, performs some new music from Texas composer Brian Beck (Liadov Fanfare [2009]) and Pennsylvania composer Sam Hazo (Hennepin County Dawn [2008]), plus works from familiar wind composers Ron Nelson (Courtly Airs and Dances [1995]) and Sousa (The Crusader Concert March [1888]).

The Symphony Band, under Brian Britt, goes entirely old school with a program of wind band classics: Nelson’s Rocky Point Holiday (1969), Percy Grainger’s full Lincolnshire Posy (1937), and Sousa’s Bullets and Bayonets (1918). If you played in a good band through high school and college after 1970, chances are good you played at least one if not two of these pieces. If you never have, you’ll be jealous for the Symphony Band, because they’re both challenging and fun.

The concert is at 8:00 PM tonight in Sharp Hall, in Catlett Music Center on the OU campus. Admission, again, is free, and a great audience like Tuesday night’s Wind Symphony audience makes the whole concert that much better, especially for our outstanding future Pride alumni performing on stage. The Concert Band, in particular, is usually filled with Pride members who aren’t music majors but just want to keep playing during the spring semester because it’s fun. I hope you can take the time tonight at 8:00 PM to be there and enjoy them having fun on the stage!