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The Lee University Wind Ensemble kicks off its 14th season on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

The first concert of the year will open with the celebrated march from the “Symphonic Metamorphosis” of Paul Hindemith. The ensemble will be under the baton of conductor Dr. David Holsinger, professor of music, and associate conductor Winona Gray Holsinger, director of instrumental projects.

The second featured work of the evening is Luigi Zaninelli’s delightful “Three Dances of Enchantment” written in 2007 in celebration of his growing up as a child of Italian-American heritage.

Of course, no concert by the Wind Ensemble goes by without a salute to the American March King, John Phillip Sousa. This concert will feature the 1906 “Free Lance March” derived from one of Sousa’s 15 Operettas.

The centerpiece of the concert will be Gary Gackstatter’s ode to his native Kansas; a five movement work entitled the “Grouse Creek Symphony.”

“Originally written for orchestra, Gackstatter transcribed the work to the symphonic band medium in the past year,” said Dr. Holsinger. “It is a beautiful, melodically rich composition, celebrating the beauty of the land, sky, trees, waters and people of the Kansas Prairie.”

The concert closes with two diverse pieces. First, a pasodoble composed in 1910 by Alfredo Javeloyes entitled “El Abanico” and secondly, a composition by one of the exciting new voices in the modern band world entitled “Conniption!” by William Pitts.

This is the first of this season’s four major concerts and two graduate conductor concerts.

The concert will be held in the Conn Center, 11th Street and Parker, on the campus of Lee University. This event is open to the public and is free of charge.

The concert will also be streaming live on Lee’s website for those who cannot make it to the event. Please visit http://leeuniversity.edu/ to enjoy the live stream.

For more information please contact Lee’s School of Music at 423-614-8240.