November 9, 2023
On November 21, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Northland Community & Technical College Theatre at the Thief River Falls campus, instrumental performers from the area will take the stage to entertain with a variety of music. The performing groups slated for the evening’s entertainment are the Northland High School Honor Band, comprised of over 60 of the top instrumental students from the area, and the Northland Community Band. The ensembles and event are under the direction of Northland Music Instructor Linda Samuelson.
The first group on the stage will be the Northland Community Band, showcasing music of female composers Florence Price, Christina Huss, and pieces composed by African-American musicians, including Jonathan Batiste. The music performed by the community band will be wide-ranging from the “Minnesota March,” written by John Philip Sousa, to “Trail of Tears” by James Barnes to recognize the travesty committed by US federal troops against 5 Southeastern US Native American tribes, to “Video Games Live – Part 2” that brings to the stage three works originally appearing in Final Fantasy VII, Myst III, and Advent Rising. Getting even more variety and talent to the stage, Lincoln High School math instructor Reid Froiland will perform a beautiful piano solo with the band, “Dreamsong.”
The final group on the program is Northland’s High School Honor Band. The nine area schools attending this year’s high school festival and their directors are Goodridge – Mariah Kirkeide; Grygla/Gatzke – Gene Lunsetter; Lincoln High School – Sarah Vogel; Mahnomen – Jill Bisek; Red Lake Falls – Lacie Hovland; Tri-County HS – Brad Thompson; Warren-Alvarado-Oslo – Molly Fridstrom; Win-E-Mac – Amanda Shultz; and Warroad – Jared Eastvold. Together, these nine schools are bringing over 60 participants to Northland to share in a day of music-making.
Preceding this concert is a day of rehearsal for the HS Honor Band. The students participating in the Honor Band were nominated by their directors. The students’ full day of rehearsing will culminate at the Fall Band Concert. The festival begins at 10:00 a.m. with full group rehearsals, which will occupy most of the student’s time. The Honor Band will be rehearsing and performing four pieces to be selected from the following: “St. Petersburg March” by Johnnie Vinson which is inspired by Russian themes; a piece by female African-American composer “The Old Boatman” that was originally for piano; “Rock Music” by female composer Alex Shapiro that is for concert band and a pre-recorded soundscape; and a final piece titled “Declaration in Blue” by well-loved and recently deceased band composer Robert W. Smith.
Admission for the Fall Band Concert is $5.00. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for the general admission seating, with the program set to begin at 7:00 p.m.
For more information, contact Linda Samuelson, Music Instructor, at 218-683-8717 or by email at linda.samuelson@northlandcollege.edu.