The Brass Band of Minot is getting in the holiday mood with a concert titled “the Music of the Holidays” on Sunday, November 20th at 4:00 PM at Minot State University’s Anne Nicole Nelson Hall.
The Brass Band of Minot is North Dakota’s only British-style brass band and provides audiences with the opportunity to experience the unique brass band sound through a variety of different styles of music. The band is directed by Wayne Schempp and consists of brass and percussion players from Minot and other communities in northwest North Dakota who share a love of brass band music.
Brass music and the holiday season go well together. In the Middle Ages, churches who could afford to do so would hire brass musicians to give a festive feeling to the season, and the tradition continues to this day. Salvation Army brass bands that kept British-style brass music alive between its decline in the late 1800’s and it’s resurgence in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Like most America British-style brass bands, the Brass Band of Minot has a lot to thank them for, including their large Christmas music repertoire which is heavily represented in this concert.
The concert will start with a Thanksgiving song titled “Bless This House” followed by “The Lost Chord,” featuring Rita Sundahl on Organ. The concert will take an upbeat turn with “Frosty the Snowman” featuring Curt Kumpf on Bass Trombone. Next will be William Gordon’s mellow jazzy rendition of “The Christmas Song,” probably better known as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” arranged by William Gordon.
Gordon is a Salvation Army brass band composer particularly known for the way his music intricately weaves together the different voices in the band. Chris Ann Badger will feature on Euphonium in the next piece, a humorous rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Then, the band will play the sonorous “Once in Royal David’s City,” arranged by Darrol Barry. Next is a medley called “A Carol Fantasy” by Peter Graham that features a number of carols tunes including “Silent Night,” “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Come, All Ye Faithful.” An upbeat, swing-like rendition of “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” arranged by William Gordon, follows. Next will be Leroy Anderson’s ever popular “Sleigh Ride.” The concert will conclude with the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah,” one of the band’s favorite pieces and a great fanfare to end a concert.
Brass Band of Minot concerts are free and open to the public though cash and check donations are very welcome.
This project is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The band’s 2023-2024 concert season will continue with concerts on February 4th and March 24th.
