Mat-Su Concert Band holding Mid-Winter Concert 'From Past to Present' Saturday

PALMER — The Mat-Su Concert Band is inviting the public to their Mid-Winter Concert called “From Past to Present.”

Principal clarinetist and Mat-Su Concert Band board member Drewcilla Holifield said they’re playing a handpicked selection of songs from the 1800s to today, the songs ever written for concert bands.

Holifield said all the songs chosen for the concert were inspired by simple folk tunes like Bach’s “Sleepers Awake.”

“It is a piece that people, if you ask them the name, they would not know what it is but as soon as it starts playing, they go, ‘oh I know that song.’ Yeah, it’s one of those,” Holifield said.

The Mat-Su Concert band is conducted by Gleo Huyck. It’s the largest and oldest musical organization in the Mat-Su Valley with over 70 active members. The roster is a grab bag filled with all walks of life with the same roaring passion for the power of music.

“We have players who have been playing for 40-plus years and high school students who excelled quickly,” Holifield told the Frontiersman. “We have a mix of professionals and people who play for fun but we all take it seriously and that’s what makes the difference.”

Admission for Saturday’s concert is $20, $5 for students and kids under 5 are admitted for free.

To purchase tickets online, visit matsuconcertband.org/event-details/mid-winter-concert-from-past-to-present

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com