COEUR d'ALENE — North Idaho College is hosting two of its annual “Gathering of Bands” concerts Wednesday, Nov. 16, and Thursday, Nov. 17, in the Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center on NIC’s main campus. The concerts will both start at 7 p.m.

Each night will feature a band consisting of about 200 middle school students who will play with the NIC Wind Symphony. The students come from all over North Idaho and Eastern Washington where they have been working on the pieces in their own bands, and will join forces each afternoon to rehearse for the concert.

“The festival provides a wonderful opportunity for the students to meet students from other schools and work together instead of always competing against each other,” said NIC band director Terry Jones. “Due to the increasing numbers in our local school band programs, the festival will offer two concerts this year.”

Dave Weatherred and Lee Shook will team up to conduct the “Gathering Bands” piece, honoring a couple of the Gathering of Bands founders, Peggy Mahoney and Dennis Kimberling. The NIC Wind Symphony will perform three pieces.

“The first piece, Ron Nelson’s ‘Rocky Point Holiday’ reminds us of all the excitement and anxiousness we have approaching the holiday season,” Jones said. “Next, with the help of some images from the Hubble Telescope, we will ‘Journey Through Orion.’”

The Wind Symphony will conclude its portion of the concert with Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture.” As always, the concert will conclude with the national march, John Phillip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

The NIC Wind Symphony is a community group with more than 2,000 years of playing experience. The multi-generational group blends high school students, college students and community members into one ensemble to create art. The group is open to the public and meets one day a week during the college school year. The community is invited to join the 40-plus year tradition of the NIC Wind Symphony.

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call (208) 769-3276.