Community band and choir plan free Kalispell concert

The Flathead Valley Community Band and the Columbia Falls Community Choir will perform a concert titled, Music for Everyone, on May 6 at Flathead High School. 

The choir will cover a variety of music styles with selections such as “The Sound of Silence” by Paul Simon and songs from the musical “Godspell” by Stephen Schwartz.  

The concert will also feature "Plaudite Omnis Terra” by Victor C. Johnson, a jubilant song that incorporates clapping in a celebration of joy, unity and exuberant praise. The text — drawn from traditional sacred sources — calls for all people to rejoice together, creating a universal message that transcends language and culture. 

The selection, “The Pasture,” is a gentle and evocative choral setting of a Robert Frost poem drawn from his early collection, “North of Boston.” Stroope, an internationally recognized American composer known for his expressive choral writing, brings a sense of warmth, simplicity, and intimacy to Frost’s pastoral poem. Lasting only a few minutes, “The Pasture” is a study of restraint and sincerity, inviting people to share life’s small joys. 

The band will perform “Satchmo!” arranged by Ted Ricketts, which contains several of Louis Armstrong’s greatest hits, including “Hello Dolly,” “When the Saints Go Marching In and “It’s a wonderful World.” Armstrong was a trumpeter, vocalist and composer who came to prominence in the 1920s and transformed jazz from collective improvisation to solo performance. 

The band will also perform “American Riversongs,” a vivid musical tribute to a time when rivers served as the lifeblood of a growing America, connecting communities, commerce and culture across vast distances. Drawing on traditional folk melodies associated with the great waterways of the United States, composer Pierre La Plante creates a nostalgic and energetic portrait of 19th-century river life. 

The choir and band will combine for a stirring rendition of “God Bless America’ written by Irving Berlin in an arrangement by Joesph Martin. For the final portion of the concert, the audience will be asked to sing along in “A Patriotic Celebration” which features well-known patriotic tunes.  

A reception will be held after the concert which starts at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to cover expenses. Following the concert will be a reception on the Foyer. 

The choir is directed by Catherine Robinson, accompanied by Dawn Hashley, and the band is directed by Allen Slater.