The blare of brass, the soft lilting of woodwinds, and the rumbling of percussion will soon fill the ears of supporters of the Paly Symphonic and Concert Bands and the Jordan Symphonic Band as the groups come together in a joint concert at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Spangenburg theatre on Gunn High School’s campus.

This performance, Paly’s second concert of the year, will not only showcase Paly band members’ talent, but will also give a chance for the Jordan Symphonic Band to play with an older, more advanced group of musicians.

The Jordan Symphonic Band and the Paly Bands will be playing two joint pieces, “Promenade and the Great Gate of Kieb” composed by Modest Mussorgsky and “Habitat: Visions of a Fragile Planet” by John Higgins, according to Jeff Willner, Paly’s Band Director.

David Brigham and Vivian Boudreaux will conduct the Jordan Symphonic Band in the two joint pieces, along with three other pieces, “Ceremony” and “Lyric” by Berry Kopetz and Grant Hull’s “Drunken Sailor.”

The Jordan Symphonic Band has been working on their three solo pieces since the beginning of the school year, according to John Mitchell, an eighth grader at Jordan and a member of the Jordan Symphonic Band. However, they only started rehearsing the two joint pieces two or three weeks ago.

“Habitat is a really creative piece…it describes all different things in the world [using complicated rhythms and dynamics,]” said eighth grader Peter Johnson, another member of the Symphonic Band at Jordan. “There is a part [in the piece] that describes New York like you would see it [while] watching TV. [Another section] describes the mountains and how peaceful they are.”

Jordan Band students and instructors alike hope that this performance will flow smoothly and perhaps entice incoming high school band students into the Paly band program.

“[Jordan students should] come to the concert for a good chance to hear music from our level and a higher level, [which shows] what to expect in the coming years,” Mitchellsaid.

The Paly Symphonic Band will perform “Satiric Dances,” composed by Norman Delo Joio, and R. Vaughan Williams’ “Toccata Marziale,” along with the two joint pieces.

“The ‘Toccata Marziale’ was a tough [piece.] At first it really seemed just a bunch of notes thrown all over the place, but we heard a recording of it and that helped us understand what we had to do,” said sophomore Lia Seth, a Paly Band member. Seth is not only a member of the Symphonic Band but also the Paly Jazz Band. Seth noted that “Satiric Dances” is her favorite piece of the program and “Habitat: Visions of a Fragile Planet” is “very artsy.”

Paly’s Concert Band is also a part of Tuesday night’s program. They will play Frank Erickson’s “Highlights from Camelot,” along with the two joint pieces.

“Students should come to see what they’re missing out on, [and] how much fun we have,” Seth said.

The Paly Bands have only had time to practice the performance pieces for a few weeks because of the “pep songs” for the football season, according to Willner. However, the hype and anticipation leading up to this concert is building. As indicated by Seth, Paly Band students hope that there will be a larger turnout at this upcoming concert because the last performance did not attract many students.

“I’d like to get the word about their great work out to the students and the public more this year,” Willner said.

Paly and Jordan’s joint performance promises to provide an enjoyable evening for parents and students alike. The concert will start at 7 p.m. and admission is free. To find out more information about the concert, or the Paly or Jordan band programs, contact Paly Band Director Jeff Willner, at [email protected], or Jordan music instructors David Brigham at [email protected], and Vivian Boudreaux at [email protected].