By Cassidy Crawford
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas Bear Marching Band, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble I will perform in the annual Band Extravaganza concert at Reynolds Performance Hall on Thursday, Dec. 3.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and is presented in conjunction with the High School Honors Wind Ensemble that is hosted by the UCA Band program.
The Band Extravaganza concert is free, but a suggested $10 donation will go straight to support the UCA bands. Additional donations will be accepted in the lobby prior to and after the show.
The show will include the UCA Wind Ensemble, conducted by Director of Bands Dr. Ricky Brooks; UCA Jazz Ensemble I, under the direction of Larry Jones, assistant professor of music; and the UCA Bear Marching Band, under the direction of Associate Director of Bands Brantley Douglas.
“The UCA Band Extravaganza is a show that spotlights the three different areas within the UCA band program: the concert band area, the jazz area, and of course, the Bear Marching Band,” Brooks said. “The Wind Ensemble and Jazz I will each perform two selections prior to the highlight of the evening — the Bear Marching Band, live and unplugged.”
The concert area will play “Four Dances from West Side Story,” a symphonic arrangement of the popular “Scherzo,” “Mambo,” “Cha Cha,” and “Cool” from the Broadway musical by Leonard Bernstein. Also on the program is the circus march “Idaho,” which will feature the percussion section.
“Each Bear Marching Band song will feature the flag line, which we’ve divided into smaller units, or twirlers, or both, on stage, on the floor, or up the aisles,” Brooks said. “The first two rows of chairs in the hall have been removed for the flag line. It’s quite a show.”
For more information, call the UCA Ticket Central Box Office at (501) 450-3265 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, or toll free from anywhere in Arkansas at (866) 810-0012 or visit www.uca.edu/reynolds.
For more information contact Douglas at (501) 450-5022 or bdouglas@uca.edu.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Communication, Mass Communication and Theatre, Music and Writing. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 852-7889.
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