"Rings" to Life at TAMIU Symphonic Band Concert Sunday

Enjoy the musical experience that first brought The Lord of the Rings to life and some lively music at Texas A&M International University Sunday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. in the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) Recital Hall.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Under the direction of Dr. Michael Stone, the Symphonic Band kicks off the performance with "Rocky Point Holiday," by Dr. Ron Nelson. His first major work for band, it is a fast and lively work that requires virtuosic playing in all sections of the band. The percussion section is quite extensive and complex.

The Symphonic Band will also perform "El Salón México," by Aaron Copland. The work premiered in Mexico City in 1937 and was a critical and popular success.

Among the music the Symphonic Band will perform is a salute to the Marine Corps - "Esprit De Corps," by Robert Jager and one of John Philip Sousa's most popular works - "El Capitán" March.

The Symphonic Band ends the concert with Johan de Meij's Symphony No. 1, "The Lord of the Rings." The symphony consists of five different movements, each illustrating a character or important episode from the book. The symphony was written in the period between March 1984 and December 1987 and had its premiere in Brussels on March 15, 1988. In 1989, it won first prize in the Sudler International Wind Band Composition Competition in Chicago and the Dutch Composers Fund a year later.

The TAMIU Symphonic Band includes students and community members.

For more information, please contact Dr. Stone at 326.2640, e-mail mstone@tamiu.edu or visit offices in the CFPA 233B.

University office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu