ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/08/2011)(readMedia)-- The Augustana College Symphonic Band will travel to Italy to perform four concerts in mid-February. The nine-day tour includes stops in Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome, in addition to other cities. The concerts will feature both American and Italian music and will be performed for a variety of audiences, ranging from townspeople to college students. This is the first time the Symphonic Band has traveled to Italy to perform.

Grace Drenth is a sophomore from Davenport, IA majoring in psychology.

Luther Hughes is a first year from Silvis, IL majoring in liberal studies.

Gaetano Iaccarino is a junior from Davenport, IA majoring in music general and anthropology.

Audrey Taylor is a senior from Moline, IL majoring in teaching biology.

Anne VanSpeybroeck is a sophomore from Rock Island, IL majoring in liberal studies.

Jennifer Youngs is a junior from Taylor Ridge, IL majoring in psychology.

"We hope that through this cultural sharing of our common love of music that our students will be able to interact and touch the lives of Italians," said Dr. James Lambrecht, director of the Symphonic Band. "This kind of experience enables our students to learn firsthand about Italy, its people, culture,and history-one of the richest in Western Civilization."

The Augustana Symphonic Band will play in a variety of venues; one that is particularly interesting will be the concert in Lucca, a city enclosed by walls in the Tuscany region. The 80-member band will perform at the Auditorium San Romano in Lucca, which used to be the main church home of Napoleon's sister. The elevated box where she attended mass is still standing. Lucca also is the birthplace of the famous Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini. In honor of their host city's history, the band members will perform an arrangement of melodies taken from Giacomo Puccini's final opera, Turandot. This will include the most famous aria"Nessun Dorma," most notably performed by the world-renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

The Symphonic Band will wrap up its tour with a home concert in Centennial Hall at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 12. Admission is free.

ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/07/2011)(readMedia)-- The Augustana Concert Band will give their final concert of the year on Saturday, February 12, at 2 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). Under the direction of Dr. Frederick Jaeschke, the band will perform four lively pieces that were chosen by the students. The concert is free and open to the public.

Jaeschke, associate professor of music and music education coordinator, explains how the students select the music for the concert. "The members of the band listen and rehearse various pieces, and then vote for their favorites," he said. "This selection system makes the concert enjoyable for the students and the audience."

The concert will feature "The Willows of Winter" by B.J. Brooks, "For All the Wyle Eternal" by Ralph Ford, "Silverado" by Bruce Broughton, and "Chorale and Shaker Dance" by John Zdechlik. The four pieces are very different from each other. Broughton's "Silverado" was composed as the soundtrack for a western adventure story and is marked by an enjoyable melody and fun syncopated rhythms. "Chorale and Shaker Dance" is one of today's most widely-recognized pieces of band literature and is based on the well-known Shaker tune, Simple Gifts.

Marcus Julian, a sophomore oboist from Itasca, Ill., says that "Chorale and Shaker Dance" is his favorite piece in their concert because of the song's catchy, memorable melody. "I enjoy concert band because it gives me exposure to so many different types of music," he said."I think the audience will really like the different styles and genres."

Students performing in the concert from your area include:

Sheila Ahuja from Rock Island, Ill.. Ahuja is a first year majoring in general studies.

Hannah Barney from Bettendorf, Iowa. Barney is a sophomore majoring in business administration.

Greg Donley from Silvis, Ill.. Donley is a first year majoring in general studies.

Darshan Hullon from Moline, Ill.. Hullon is a first year majoring in general studies.

Eryn Maccabee from East Moline, Ill.. Maccabee is a first year majoring in general studies.

Elizabeth Mayer from Dixon, Ill.. Mayer is a first year majoring in general studies.

Halley Stearns from Sherrard, Ill.. Stearns is a sophomore majoring in communication studies.

The Augustana Concert Band includes students from a wide variety of majors and music backgrounds. "The the vast majority of students in concert band are not music majors," Jaeschke said. "For many of the students, playing an instrument has been a big part of their life, and they simply enjoy playing in the band."

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers more than 70 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty members and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.

“Emotional story-telling lyrics, charismatic stage presence, and hilarious anecdotes.” - June Wulff, The Boston Globe