Imagine every single Capstone musician coming together — every instrument, every single type of music, every single musical group at the University. This year, and every year in November, there is no need to imagine.
The Spectrum Concert, a showcase of “every aspect of what the School of Music has to offer,” according to a press release by the School of Music, is tonight at 7:30 in the Moody Music Building Concert Hall and is free to the public.
The concert will feature the Alabama Wind Ensemble, Jazz Standards Combo, Oboe Studio, Trombone Choir, Horn Quartet, University Singers, Jazz Ensemble, Faculty Brass Quintet, Huxford Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, performances by UA faculty members and an up-close performance of the full Million Dollar Band.
Skip Snead, the director of the school of music and a professor of horn, said this is the one concert all year that offers all of that to attendees.
“This is the one concert we offer on an annual basis that comprehensively features all aspects of the [Moody] School of Music,” Snead said. “It is essentially a musical buffet that shows off a sampling of everything we do, featuring a full spectrum of all of our various styles and genres. Besides, it is a concert we always really enjoyed putting together and the evening always proves to be a lot of fun for both the performers and the audience.”
Snead described it as every style from jazz through classical, through Dixieland, to Broadway, to opera, closed out by the full Million Dollar Band.
“It is a very special concert because it encompasses the entirety of who we are and what we do,” Snead said.
Students should attend because of the variety and the quick length of each performance, not to mention the opportunity to enjoy an up-close performance of the MDB, Snead said.
“This is a great concert for students to attend because it has such huge variety, and nothing is designed to last very long,” Snead said. “And, the opportunity to hear the University’s very own Million Dollar Marching Band inside the Moody Concert Hall, up-close and personal, is an experience not to be missed.”
Bonnie Rice, a senior majoring in cello performance and a member of the Huxford Symphony Orchestra, which will be performing at Spectrum, said she thinks it’s a good chance for students to try something new and gain an appreciation for all types of music.
“Spectrum is an excellent opportunity for students outside of the music program to gain an appreciation for a variety of musical styles and artists,” Rice said. “Students should find the Spectrum Concert especially entertaining and view it as a night to get a break from studies, but also as a meaningful evening.”
Snead encouraged audience members to arrive early for a prime seat, as it usually a popular concert. The doors open at 7 p.m.
The concert will run a total of two hours in length and in the final 20 minutes is when the MDB fills up the concert hall.
“What goes on in the [Moody] School of Music is always first-rate,” Snead said. “It is an important aspect of [music students] cultural development that will help further their development as general members of society. There is great music of all kinds and types. I encourage everyone to broad their spectrum relative to the types of music they enjoy and have the opportunity to listen to.”
