The North Idaho College music department has seen plenty of musicians come and go, but after many years away from the lighted stage, some of these past students returned to play their hearts out in Schuler Performing Arts Center. They joined current students who someday may have successful careers as well.
The NIC Wind Symphony is known to have plenty of guest musicians featured in their performances, but during their performance “Featuring…US,” the band put the spotlight on themselves and many past alumni.
The band, conducted by Terry Jones, had musicians with anywhere from nine to 70 years of playing experience.
“Tonight we are going to reminisce a little about those who have been here before,” Jones said. “This concert is for past and current performers; it’s about us.”
Jones commented that he had musicians so conditioned and skilled that they could pick up a song they had learned 20 years ago and still be able to play it today.
“That is truly ‘owning’ a piece,” Jones said.
The current students and alumni presented pieces that highlighted strengths in the band as a whole and in some of the main parts of the group.
Different pieces of the band were showcase and honored in different songs such as the flute lead in “Dance of the Toy Flutes” and the tuba lead in “Tuba Tiger Rag.”
Jones led his symphony throughout the night by bringing out power and beauty in the pieces through his conducting.
The show contained songs that that were loud, exciting, and memorable. The percussion section showed great dynamic that went from chest pounding beats to ear pleasing soft melodies, all in the same song.
One song, “Big Band Salute,” was arranged by NIC alumni Tom Tucker, who helped out in the trumpet section.
“That’s one of the great things about this area,” Jones said, “there are so many great songwriters and arrangers who come through this program.”
Other parts of the band, such as the clarinet section, were humorous during their performance. At one point they started to dismantle their instruments after certain sections of the song, showing they could still play the tune with only two parts of their instrument together.
Jones ended the night with two songs in a row that did not feature a certain section, rather, the band as a whole.
“It’s like a piece of synergy,” Jones said.”As a band the whole is greater than the sum.”
