Spring Music Showcase is April 5-6
Emilie Jenson, Public Information Office
4/1/2024
The Iowa Central Performing Arts Department will present the 2024 Spring Showcase April 5-6.
Friday evening’s concert will be the instrumental portion, featuring performances by the Jazz Band, Concert Band, Brass Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble.
The Jazz Band, under the direction of Paul Bloomquist, will open the concert with four selections including “Jeru” by Gerry Milligan, Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” and “Samba de Orphee.”
Graduating sophomores Nick Ross, Noah Griswold, Rebecca Rainwater, Andrew Dutcher Abby Meyer, Collin Vik, and Kadin Luhmann will be featured soloists as they perform their final concert with the Iowa Central Jazz Band.
The Brass Ensemble will perform “As Waves Against the Shore,” Iriving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” and an arrangement of Gabrielli’s “Sonata Pian e Forte.”
The Percussion Ensemble, directed by Jeremy Smith, will perform “Taiko,” which emulates the unmistakable sound of a Japanese taiko ensemble in an up-tempo tune, and Josh Gottry’s “Puzzle Pieces,” a deconstructed movement in which the performers are part of the composition process where each player is given three sets of measures and a final measure. Each player will decide which measure to play out of each set and for how long until the conductor cues the final measure. The ensemble’s closer will be “Final Boss,” a piece inspired by the final levels of older video games.
The Concert Band, under the direction of Bloomquist, will open their performance with famed Fort Dodge composer Karl King’s “Bon Voyage.” The song will be an homage to the band’s final performance and rehearsals in the BHS Auditorium before moving into their new home in the Center for Performing Arts. A concerto piece arranged will highlight W.A. Amadeus’ “Romanze,” and Handel’s “Lascia,” and feature Rori Snethen on Frech horn and vocalist Grace Minor. “Abram’s Pursuit” portrays a musical battle of the Biblical story of Abram, and the band will close with the familiar John Williams’ piece “Olympics: A Centennial Celebration.”
The vocal music department will offer two performance times on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The concert will feature a mix of familiar and favorite pop, movie and Broadway tunes performed by the Triton Singers, Encore Singers, Pop Voices and Vocal Jazz ensembles.
The Triton Singers will highlight familiar songs such as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody and “I Lived,” by One Republic.
Pop Voices will feature a selection of modern pop songs, including “What Do I Know,” the 2017 hit by Ed Sheeran.
The Encore Singers will perform renditions of songs by Meghan Trainor and the Jonas Brothers, and Vocal Jazz will showcase an acapella version of “A Million Dreams” from the movie “The Greatest Showman.”
The evening will also highlight several solo and small group performances of music from the Backstreet Boys, Christina Perri, Adele and the musical “Wicked.”
Performances will be held in the auditorium of the Bioscience and Health Sciences Building and admission is free.
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