Musicians preparing to play in the Winona Heritage Room. Photo courtesy of Jake Rhodes.

WINONA LAKE — The Grace College Community Wind Ensemble will present “Dreams, Wishes and Rainbows” on Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Winona Heritage Room, 901 Park Avenue, Winona Lake. Tickets will be sold at the door; prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students. There will be open seating; the audience is encouraged to arrive early for a good seat.

Martin Becker, director of the fall performance, was inspired to create the concert’s compilation of music by one of America’s greatest entertainment pioneers: Walt Disney. “Disney’s legacy is an international, cultural icon,” said Becker. Disney’s music is weaved into the entirety of the concert.

The concert will begin with a selection appropriately titled, “Fanfare: A Vision and a Dream.” The pieces were written by Ryan Nowlin and dedicated to William Doud Packard, who had characteristics similar to Disney’s. “Packard was a man of ingenuity, dreams, patriotism and generosity,” said Becker. “We feel this music captures those attributes.”

The second selection, “Dream, Imagine, Live,” is a new arrangement written by Larry Clark. It is written in three diverse sections. Combined, the pieces are reflective of Henry David Thoreau’s quote, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.”

The first half of the concert will conclude with “October,” a piece written by Eric Whitacre. “October is my favorite month,” Whitacre once said. “Something about the crisp autumn air and subtle change in light always makes me a little sentimental, and I felt the same beauty in the writing.” Whitacre is a Grammy-award winning composer and one of the most popular conductors of his generation. His music is performed throughout the world; his ground-breaking Virtual Choir, a user-generated choir that requires members to record and upload music, has united singers from over 110 different countries.

The second half of the concert will begin with “At the End of the Rainbow,” a newly-composed selection written by Indiana composer Richard L. Saucedo. The composer notes, “The piece is named for that ongoing quest in which we all embark when trying to find our place in the world. No matter what we may find at our respective ‘ends of the rainbow,’ the search, the journey and the process is what matters most and creates for each individual a life that is extremely worthwhile.”

“There is no better way to conclude the concert than to perform some of Disney’s music,” Becker said. The ensemble will play “When You Wish Upon a Star,” a song written in 1940 for Disney’s adaptation of “Pinocchio.” The original version is the representative song of the Walt Disney Company. “Composer Sammy Nestico has produced a wonderful arrangement of the song for concert band,” Becker adds.

The final selection is Disney’s “Fantasia 2000,” inspired by the movie and arranged by Jay Bocook. The Grace Wind Ensemble will perform three of the compositions used in the film: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Paul Dukas’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” and the final from Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite.”

The Grace College Community Wind Ensemble includes student and community members. The experienced group provides several public performances throughout the year. For more information, email Martin Becker at [email protected] or call (574) 372-5100, ext. 6359.