Spring concert pays tribute to Oblates, Grey Nuns

In its 41-year history, the St. Albert Community Band has garnered the respect of the music industry and political leaders alike.

When the band asked to have their Arden Theatre rental fee waived for their Spring Concert on Thursday, June 9, Mayor Nolan Crouse complied.

“We wanted to guarantee a donation of $2,500 to the Slave Lake Regional Library Board,” says band president Gerry Buccini.

He had noticed the St. Albert Public Library was collecting money to rebuild a new facility that would replace the charred ruins devastated by a spring wildfire. Since the band has always involved itself in fundraising for the community, Buccini felt it was fitting the 70 musicians pitch in.

“We're also going to have drums in the lobby and we'll be collecting silver and bills to go to the library. This is St. Albert. We all believe in the arts and culture and reading, so let's do our two-bits worth.”

The two-hour-plus concert, split between the St. Albert Community Band and Saint City Big Band, will mix a series of eclectic tunes learned during this past season. They range from film scores and jazz to classical and Latin.

For St. Albert's 150th anniversary year, Angela Schroeder, the community band's conductor has planned a repertoire honouring the Oblate ministry and the Grey Nuns order.

Prairie Songs, penned by American composer Pierre LaPlante pays homage to the pioneer spirit of the Oblates in a two-part movement that starts slowly and moves into a fast, dance-like pace.

The Grey Nuns will receive a special salute through Franz Biebl's Ave Maria (not to be confused with Schubert's widely honoured composition). Soloist Mark Wilkinson, a master's student in vocal performance at the University of Alberta, leads the song.

Schroder has also slipped in a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the nuns with selections from The Sound of Music.

Perhaps the most challenging piece on the block is Gustav Holst's emotional and very beautiful Suite in E Flat, a composition that was part of Schroeder's doctoral thesis.

“It's one of the absolute greatest pieces written for our medium. It allows our ensemble to sound notes in many different ways and that is tremendous,” she says.

The musicians close their portion of the concert with Robert Sheldon's Danzas Cubanas, a clever segue to the jazz portion of the concert performed by Saint City Band under the direction of Tom Smyth.

For Buccini, this concert is a no-brainer. “You support your own loyal community band and all its followers. You help honour the Grey Nuns and Oblates. And you help Slave Lake. It's a great opportunity to come together during this tragedy.”