Community band performs Christmas concert

The Flathead Valley Community Band will present its “Christmas Celebration Concert” on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at the Red Lion in Kalispell.  

The program begins at 7:30 pm. The Community Band is under the direction of Allen Slater.  The concert will consist of a variety of Christmas music. There is no admittance charge for the concert but there will be a free will donation to offset costs.

The program begins with Leroy Anderson’s arrangement of “A Christmas Festival.” This lively tune captures several well-known Christmas carols.

The band is also performing “With Every Winters Breath,” a beautiful commission written by Randall Standridge. The music creates a winter landscape of white snow and towering mountains and was inspired by the idea that a person’s memory can inspire comfort and influence our daily lives, even after they have passed on.

Also at the concert is the clarinet quartet, “Three Roses and a Thorn.” This group has performed at many of the local rest homes and brings a beautiful set of music to share.

The concert has several cleverly written pieces of Christmas music. “Peter Pat a Pan” written by Julie Giroux presents the original Christmas tune along with several quotes from “The Nutcracker,” as well as the famous carol, “We Three Kings.” Another interesting piece is “Secret Agent Santa” arranged by Jeff Simmons, which combines James Bond and Christmas in a most unusual way. And as always the concert will close with Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.”