SMU band, wind ensemble concert March 30 celebrates ‘Music in our Schools Month’

Dr. David Leung rehearses with the SMU Concert Band, under the direction of Dr. Janet Heukeshoven.

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Concert Band and Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Janet Heukeshoven, will present a concert Sunday, March 30, in celebration of “Music in our Schools Month.” The performance will begin at 3 p.m. in Page Theatre, located in the SMU Performance Center.

The featured violin soloist is Saint Mary’s Assistant Professor of Music Dr. David Leung, in a rare pairing with winds and percussion. The Concertino (1998) by Evzen Zámecnik is written in a modern jazz style combined with traditional classical violin techniques. Dr. Leung is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and is a frequent soloist and chamber music performer around the world. In his second year at Saint Mary’s, Dr. Leung teaches violin and viola, as well as ear-training courses, and he directs the SMU Chamber Orchestra.

Other performances will include: Bernstein’s delightful overture A Musical Toast, Eric Whitacre’s hauntingly beautiful October, Grainger’s Children’s March, and a recently published piece by Valerie Coleman, founder of the Imani Winds, Umoja.  Richard Strauss’s moving Allerseelen and Bencriscutto’s Lindbergh Jubilee round out the program.

Tickets are $10 for adults or $5 for students and seniors may be reserved at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at www.pagetheatre.org. Tickets are also available one hour before the concert.

The SMU Concert Band is made up of SMU students and community musicians from the Winona area. The ensemble presents two performances each semester on the SMU campus. For additional information, contact Heukeshoven at (507) 457-1675 or jheukesh@smumn.edu.