MACON – Townsend School of Music will present the second annual “Bands at The Grand Honor Band Festival” this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22. The concert brings together bands from multiple levels with exciting guest artists at Macon’s historic Piedmont Grand Opera House.
Friday at 7:30 p.m. will be the first of two concerts hosted by Mercer University Bands. The Mercer University Wind Ensemble will perform a program inspired by hard rock and popular music styles. Monty Cole, professor of music, will perform “Black Dog: Rhapsody for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble” by Scott McAllister based on Led Zeppelin’s most famous “lick.”
Other highlights include Shostakovich’s “Jazz Suite No. 2” and a “Phantom of the Opera” medley arranged by Johan de Meij.
Brittan Braddock, assistant professor of music and director of bands, will serve as conductor for the evening.
“This Mercer University Wind Ensemble program is designed to entertain,” she said. “When I posted a short video on Black Dog on Facebook, Scott McAllister, the composer, commented: ‘Thanks for taking the dog for a walk.'”
The Saturday afternoon high school honor band concert, held at 3 p.m., concludes the festival.
“The Bands at the Grand High School Honor Band is in its second year and going strong,” Braddock said. “The band is made up of about 70 high school students from all over the state of Georgia. They auditioned for this experience, received the music about a month ago, and put it together this weekend.”
Jeffrey Rowser, a 2023 Inductee into the National High School Band Directors Hall of Fame, will serve as guest conductor.
“He is a legendary band director in Georgia and is currently the band director at Woodward Academy in Atlanta,” Braddock said. “Mercer’s instrumental faculty gave masterclasses to the students on Thursday and our Music Education students are getting vital experience hosting an event like this, as well as the opportunity to observe a master teacher work with high school students. There are about 20 high schools represented in the group.”
Both concerts are free and open to the public, with community members encouraged to attend the shows. Find out more about Townsend School of Music programs at their website.
