Concert Band and Wind Symphony to Perform in Bedell

Southeast Missouri State University’s Wind Symphony and Concert Band will perform “For the Beauty of the Earth” on March 1 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall.

The concert represents the elements of the Earth, which inspired the title, according to Dr. Martin Reynolds, director of bands.

“Each piece that we play is like a chapter in the book, and every chapter I want to have a level of musical diversity in it,” Reynolds, said.

He said all the concerts are planned about a year in advance.

“I’m directly impacted by retention of students,” Reynolds said.

Each semester there are auditions held to be a member of the Southeast Wind Symphony or Concert Band. Reynolds said if there is a unique or uncommon instrument required for a piece, he has to know if there will be a student to play the part or if the department will have to hire a professional from in town.

During “For the Beauty of the Earth” Southeast professor, Nicholas Kenney, will perform a solo in “Pele,” a piece about a Hawaiian volcano goddess.

“The piece is relatively new. There’s not a commercial recording of it,” Kenney said. “It’s cool to be playing it in its early stages.”

He will play the French horn for his solo. Kenney said he enjoys playing with his students in concert.

Senior saxophone player Steven Watkins said the students have had three weeks to prepare for this concert.

“It has been a little rushed and we are playing some high-level literature,” Watkins said. “But we sure do have the group to do it.”

Watkins said music is a competitive industry, and you never know if you’ll end up sitting next to a friend or a foe.

“It’s such a sparse field that you have to climb your way up on the backs of your friends,” Watkins said.

It is difficult to keep friends as a musician, and he said most of his college experience has become networking.

Watkins said the best part of preforming is going out on stage and forgetting about daily life and being in the moment with the audience.

Watkins, Reynolds and Kenney agreed this concert has music for all types of people to enjoy.

“The concert has a lot of wild character to it,” Kenney said. “If there are any concertgoers that enjoy concerts but don’t think they may like wind symphony concerts, I think they will enjoy the selections in this concert.”