The Wind Ensemble and Concert Band presented their spring semester concert in the Whitehead Auditorium on Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

People of all ages were there to give support as they anxiously awaited the start of the performance and Joseph Brashier’s cue to the Wind Ensemble.

“There are about 80 performers in the Concert Band and 40 in the Wind Ensemble,” Joseph Brashier, band director, said.

“The Wind Ensemble and the Concert Band each perform several times per year.”

Check out a few of the compositions preformed by the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble at the recent event:

According to Brashier, the Concert Band, which is based on a larger symphony band model, has an assortment of pieces prepared, with pieces from the 1950s all the way to the 1980s.

“There will be a variety of music played by the Concert Band including “Spontaneous Combustion by Robert Sheldon, Song of the Gandy Dancers by Richard Saucedo, Three Celtic Dances by Brian Balmages and Undertow by John Mackey,” Brashier said.

The Wind Ensemble, which has a concept of designating one player for each part, will also be presenting diverse pieces with various instruments.

“The Wind Ensemble will play Xerxes by John Mackey, San Antonio Dances by Frank Ticheli, Volver a la Montana by Shelley Hanson, Singaporean Folk Suite by Zechariah Goh and Legacies by Clint Needham,” Brashier said.

The wind ensemble preforms John Mackay’s “Xerxes”

The instruments played in the band include brass, percussion and woodwinds.

As the concert concluded, over 100 VSU students rose for a standing ovation.

Many of the guests that attended were impressed by the performance, including Valdosta Resident Cassie Powers.

“’It was a great experience,” Powers said. “It shows the talent that the Valdosta students exhibit.”

For others, the performance had a more lasting impact.

“It was a really interesting event,” Jennifer Aman, an undecided sophomore major, said. “I had never been to a musical event on campus but I really enjoyed it.”

With the talent surrounding the music department, great thanks was granted for attending the event. If you or anyone you know would like to make Music Scholarship Donations, checks may be made out to the Music Scholarship Alliance.