Band program to perform spring concert Thursday, May 2

The Tusculum College band program will conclude its performance season Thursday, May 2, with a concert featuring a variety of music from American standards to jazz arrangements of well known tunes of popular artists.

The band concert’s spring concert, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building. The concert is also part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s 2012-13 Acts, Arts, Academia performance and lecture series.

Performing will be the Concert Band, Handbell Choir and Jazz Band with special guest performers Amy Saxonmeyer and John Brown.

The Concert Band will present familiar tunes in some new arrangements. “Tennessee Salute” will pay homage to five melodies that are ingrained into America’s musical landscape – “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Wabash Cannonball,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Tennessee Waltz” and “Rocky Top.” “An American Fanfare” will incorporate strains of “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)” into an energetic fanfare.

The ever-popular “Amazing Grace” as well as Sousa march “The Black Horse Troop” and “American Barndance” will also be performed by the Concert Band.

The Pioneer Jazz Band previewed some of its repertoire for the Tusculum College Band program’s spring concert during the Old Oak Festival.

Arrangements of pieces by popular artists such as the Beatles, Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock will be among those performed by the Jazz Band. “Something,” “Sir Duke,” “Watermelon Man,” “Rock This Town” and the traditional “Tuxedo Junction” are on the program for the Jazz Band.

Two hymns will be performed by the Handbell Choir, “Immortal Invisible” and “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”

The spring concert will wrap up another successful year for the band program, which began in 2010. The program performs three concerts per academic year, a Christmas, winter and spring concert. The band program also includes the Marching Band, which performs primarily during football season, the Pep Band that performs during basketball season and various small ensembles that perform for Tusculum and community events.