Dr. Neal Schnoor
UNK director of Bands, 308.865.88631
UNK– The University of Nebraska at Kearney Wind Ensemble will present a “Sousa Celebration” concert tour on Thursday and Friday, March 25-26.
Directed by Dr. Neal Schnoor, UNK director of bands, the Wind Ensemble will perform in Ogallala, North Platte and Fort Collins, Colo. Two of the five performances will take place in conjunction with UNK Alumni Association gatherings, which feature presentations to the alumni by UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen.
Each performance by the UNK Wind Ensemble will showcase traditional classics, several of Sousa’s most popular marches, and feature guest soloists including UNK professor and pianist Dr. James Cook. Tyler Cobb of McCook will also perform a clarinet solo titled, “Concertino,” and vocalist Amber Kosmicki of Holdrege will sing “Someone to Watch Over Me.” The programs will conclude with a patriotic tribute to veterans of the armed forces, an audience “sing-along” and “The Stars and Stripes, Forever.”
The Wind Ensemble will open their tour Thursday (March 25) by hosting early morning clinics for the Ogallala middle and high school bands, and the jazz band, at Ogallala High School.
“We’ll show them different styles and offer critiques,” Dr. Schnoor said. “This will be a real chance to develop a master class setting and help those with music contest solos.”
At 9 a.m., the Wind Ensemble will present a concert at the Ogallala High School. The concert is free and open to the Ogallala community. A highlight of the concert, Lauren Rudolph, who is a UNK student from Ogallala, will be the featured vocalist on Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
The Wind Ensemble with then travel to the Fort Collins, Colo., where they will entertain UNK alumni during a UNK Alumni Association gathering at the Fort Collins Country Club. They will perform for UNK alumni beginning at 7:30 p.m. Their performance will take place in conjunction with a presentation to alumni by UNK Chancellor Kristensen.
On Friday, the Wind Ensemble will give three performances in North Platte. The group will begin with a 1 p.m. performance at North Platte High School. Beginning at 6 p.m., they will perform for UNK alumni at the Sandhills Convention Center. The group will conclude the day’s performances with an 8 p.m., full community concert at North Platte High School. The concert is free and open to the public.
UNK Wind Ensemble members, and the instruments they play, are listed below, alphabetically by hometown:
Amherst – Chris Gugel, alto saxophone
Archer – Jody Neel, tuba
Ashland – Kimberly Morwitzer, clarinet
Aurora – Ashley Lawton, trumpet
Bassett – Cameron Scheibe, trombone
Beatrice – Troy Ehmke, alto saxophone
Blair – Helen Breuer, horn
Comstock – Robert Roth, trumpet
Crete – Rae Fahrlander, oboe
Fremont – Josh Steager, trumpet
Gering– David Kelley, percussion
Grand Island – Eric Rempe, trombone; Katelyn Rempe, clarinet
Grant – Brooke Harris, piccolo
Holdrege – Eric Jones, percussion
Kearney – Tyler Allen, trombone; Paul Niedbalski, euphonium; Brock Persson, tuba; Nathan Thorn, percussion; Paloma Mena-Werth, oboe; James Wolf, bari saxophone
Lexington – Joel Montes, percussion
McCook – Casey Cobb, tenor saxophone; Tyler Cobb, clarinet; Julie Gates, piccolo
Minden – William Gleason, trumpet
North Platte – Michael Conley, trumpet; Carey Teters, clarinet
Omaha – Andrew Jacobitz, trombone; Cayle Jones, bass clarinet
Osmond – Clint Dennis, euphonium
Scottsbluff – Brooke Brown, clarinet; Justin Vogel, trumpet
St. Libory – Adam White, percussion
IOWA
Union– Stacia Kluever, percussion
JAPAN – Megumi Kajigaya, clarinet; Daisuke Yamaguchi, flute
