WINONA LAKE — The Grace College Community Wind Ensemble under the direction of Martin Becker will present their Fall Concert “Celebrating the Greatest Generation,” a musical tribute and celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20, in the Rodeheaver Auditorium, Winona Lake.  The program will feature music of Sousa, Shostakovich, Rodgers and Hammerstein, John Williams and more.

Conductor Martin Becker will lead the seventy piece symphonic band in a wonderful evening of patriotic music connected and dedicated to the veterans of World War II. To begin the concert the band will perform the music of John Williams, “The March from 1941.”

The second selection is the Finale from Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Mr. Becker stated that “as it is with most orchestral transcriptions this band arrangement is most challenging for the symphonic band and the Grace Community Wind Ensemble members have worked extremely hard on this music.” 

The South Pacific Symphonic Scenario for Band is a medley of tunes from South Pacific. After a rather bellicose opening series of chords (it is a war story, after all), there is a short introduction with brief references to Bali Hai, Some Enchanted Evening, and Dites-moi, there is a more extended rendering of the following songs: Some Enchanted Evening, Bali Hai, Younger than Springtime, Happy Talk and I’m Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair.

Concluding the first half of the program features a performance by two Masterworks Musicians, Arturo Osorio on Flute and Heather Woitena on Harp. The talented duet will perform “Reverie” by Claude Debussy.

To open the second half of the program any Veterans in the audience will be recognized as the band performs “To Reap the Blessings of Freedom”. The title was taken from Thomas Paine’s “The American Crisis” written in September of 1777.

Becker would like to encourage any World War II veterans in the area to try to attend program and be recognized. A special reserved area will be provided for those Veterans and their families.

The next selection, titled “The Greatest Generation” will be the highlight of the concert.  Written for narrator and band, “The Greatest Generation” was inspired by Tom Brokaw’s eloquent testament to the World War II generation. The music sets the background for a reading of four soldiers’ letters that highlight the emotion of those difficult times and the victorious struggle to preserve our freedom.

To lighten up the evening, Becker thought it was only appropriate to include some music from the big band “swing era” which became popular during the World War II period. Becker stated “nothing better than the music of Glenn Miller.” Glenn Miller was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known big bands.

There’s no better way to conclude this Celebration of the end of World War II than performing a march by John Philip Sousa, titled “Hands Across the Sea.”

Admission is free but an offering opportunity will be available at intermission.