2016 Spring Music Concert set for Tuesday

Abbey Whittington, Entertainment Editor

The 2016 Spring Music Concert will include the talents of three instrumental ensembles during their performance  7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The concert will include performances from Eastern’s Symphonic Band, the EIU Jazz Lab Band and the EIU Concert band, and will be comprised of talents from both Eastern and the Charleston community.

The Eastern Symphonic Band and the EIU Jazz Lab Band are both conducted by music instructor James Hile ,and the EIU Jazz Lab Band is under the direction of jazz professor Paul Johnston.

According to a press release, the Jazz Lab Band was added to the schedule with the concert bands since the Celebration Festival of the Arts was cancelled this year.

“The Jazz Lab Band usually opens the Celebration Festival as its last playing opportunity for the season. Since Celebration was canceled this year due to budget cuts, the Jazz Lab Band was combined with the two concert bands,” the press release said.

The Eastern Symphonic Band is made up of 50 to 60 woodwind, brass and percussion players who are mostly non-music majors, a few community members and some music education majors who play secondary instruments.

The EIU Concert Band consists of 60 to 70 musicians and is a non-auditioned ensemble with about half music majors and half non-music majors who perform traditional standard and contemporary band repertoire. The Concert Band was also designed to create quality musical experience for both music majors and non-music majors.

The EIU Jazz Lab Band gives students an opportunity for more students to gain experience with the big band repertoire, and according to the music group’s web page, rehearsals emphasize the fundamentals of stylistic interpretation, articulation and improvisation.

Each of the three ensembles will perform five to six pieces during the performance on Tuesday.

Tickets for the spring concert performance will be $5 for both students and for the general public and can be purchased online at Doudna’s website or at the box office.

Abbey Whittington can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].