ROCK ISLAND, IL (02/11/2010)(readMedia)-- The 2010 Augustana Symphonic Band will perform throughout the Midwest from February 19-28. From your area, this includes:
Grace Drenth, a first year from Davenport, IA majoring in elementary education.
Gaetano Iaccarino, a sophomore from Davenport, IL majoring in music.
Katie Lambrecht, a first year from Moline, IL majoring in psychology.
Paul Lambrecht, a senior from Moline, IL majoring in political science, history, and secondary education.
Audrey Taylor, a junior from Moline, IL majoring in biology education.
Jennifer Youngs, a sophomore from Taylor Ridge, IL majoring in psychology.
The band's tour will include performances in Valparaiso, Indiana; Michigan City, Indiana; Wabash, Indiana; Aurora, Illinois; Brookfield, Wisconsin; Cary, Illinois; and Rockford, Illinois. For specific performance times and locations, please visit www.augustana.edu/bandtour.
The Augustana Symphonic Band was established in 1874, making it the oldest musical organization at Augustana. The band took its first concert tour to central Iowa in the spring of 1883 and became one of the first American collegiate bands to tour in Europe in 1928.
The band is under the direction of Dr. James Lambrecht, professor of trumpet and director of bands at Augustana. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. of music from Indiana University and now serves as a guest conductor, clinician, and soloist throughout the country and abroad.
Lambrecht sees the tour as an important part of the band program. "Our students talk about the tour as the hallmark of their experience," he said. "As a private college, it is also an important part of our tradition. Large universities are not able to do this, so the tour distinguishes us as a college and lets us reach out to people through our music."
Dana Gustafson, a junior majoring in communication sciences and disorders, agrees with Lambrecht. "At a larger school there is no way I could play in the top touring ensemble without majoring in music and having that be my whole life. At Augustana I can tour with the band every year, which gives me the opportunity to pursue my passion for music, meet so many incredible people, and play amazing literature along the way."
In April, the band will perform at Orchestra Hall in Chicago's Symphony Center, along with the Augustana Choir and Augustana Symphony Orchestra. The grand multiple-ensemble performance will be one of several celebrations held throughout the year in honor of the college's 150th anniversary.
For more information, contact Kamy Beattie at kamybeattie@augustana.edu or 309-794-7721.
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 60 majors and areas of study. Augustana employs 226 faculty and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it always has done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.
