Scot Symphonic Band's Spring Concert a Remedy for Winter Blues

Sunday's free public performance to be held in The College of Wooster's McGaw Chapel

WOOSTER, Ohio - The College of Wooster's Scot Symphonic Band will provide welcome relief from the winter blues when it presents its annual winter concert on Sunday (Feb. 28) in McGaw Chapel (340 E. University St.). The performance, which is free and open to the public, begins at 4 p.m.

Directed by Nancy Ditmer and assisted by Ned Brooks, the band will present a variety of selections, including Samuel Hazo's "Exultate," which was commissioned in 2001 for the installation of Duquesne University President Charles Dougherty, and James Barnes' "Yorkshire Ballad," a folk-like melody with a distinct British flavor that was inspired by the composer's visit to Yorkshire Dales in northern England.

Also on the program is William Schuman's version of William Billings' "Chester Overture," a classic band tune based on the famous American Revolutionary hymn and marching song of the same name, and John Barnes Chance's "Variations on a Korean Folk Song," which won the prestigious ABA Ostwald Award.

Other selections include Percy Grainger's "Gum-Suckers March," a song that celebrates the nickname for Australians born in Victoria where eucalyptus trees are called "gums" and the shoots at the bottom of the tree are called "suckers," and Adam Gorb's "Eine Kleine Yiddishe RagMusik," which combines the symphonic wind orchestra and Klezmer (the folk music of the Yiddish-speaking people). The piece synthesizes Scott Joplin ragtime with Jewish folk music, creating haunting melodies evocative of Berlin in the 1930s.

Rounding out the concert will be David Holsinger's "Ballet Sacra," a concert piece based on universally known texts utilized not only in the Roman Catholic Mass, but also the Anglican Mass, the Lutheran Service, and the United Methodist Communion Service. In addition, the traditional music of Scotland, will showcase Wooster's pipers, dancers, and drummers.

Nancy Ditmer directs the Symphonic and Marching Bands, teaches music education courses and conducting, and supervises student teachers. She received her undergraduate training in music education at Capital University and her master's degree from The University of Iowa, where she also completed coursework toward her Ph.D. She holds memberships in a variety of organizations, including the College Band Directors National Association, the Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association (OPCICA), Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the National Band Association. She has held leadership positions in a number of organizations, including MENC: The National Association for Music Education, and OMEA, which presented her with a Distinguished Service Award in 2006.

Ned Brooks is in his 12th year as an assistant director for the band program at Wooster, where he assists with the Symphonic and Marching Bands and directs the Fighting Scot Pep Band. He received his undergraduate degree in music education from The Ohio State University and his graduate degree from Kent State University. He taught music in the Fredericktown (Ohio) Local Schools and in the U.S. Dependents School in Mainz, Germany, before becoming the instrumental music teacher and band director at Triway Local Schools, a position he held for 27 years.

Additional information about the concert is available by phone (330-263-2419) or e-mail.