Mat-Su Concert Band Celebrates Holiday Season with Two Festive Performances
Contributed by Mat-Su Concert Band
Mat-Su Concert Band’s holiday concerts are right around the corner, ringing in the peak of the season with a combination of festive tunes, seasonal melodies and an Olympic homage.
The “Winter Celebration” concerts take place at the Glenn Massay Theater at Mat-Su College at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21. Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $5 for students, and free for children 5 and under. Tickets are available at matsuconcertband.org and at the door.
The concert features seasonal selections including “A Christmas Festival” – Leroy Anderson’s medley of popular holiday tunes – as well as other popular numbers including “I Saw Three Ships” featuring an unconventional ship’s bell and music from the “The Polar Express” movie.
The band will display their choral skills with the hauntingly beautiful “On an Olde Christmas Carol” and celebrate the brightness of the season with “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” along with several numbers marking the ethereal stillness of the Alaskan winter.
This concert will also pay tribute to the upcoming Winter Olympics with pieces including “Summon the Heroes” by John Williams and “Across the Halfpipe,” the third movement of “Minnesota Portrait” by Samuel Hazo. Trumpeter Doug Sheaffer will be featured on a “A Trumpeter’s Lullaby.”
The band will be conducted by the band’s director, Tyler Martin, who also serves as director of the Wasilla High School band program.
Mat-Su Concert Band got its start in 1984 as the Mat-Su Community Band, formed by Matanuska Music owner Hank Hartman. Past directors have included Neil Long, Phil Munger, and Gleo Huyck, who led the group through its transition to an independent nonprofit organization.
Today, the band is made up of about 60 musicians from many different walks of life who come together to make music every week during the school year. Rehearsals are held Monday nights at Wasilla High School. For more information about the band, including becoming a member, please email contact@matsuconcertband.org