Atieno Winnie Kabwe | Contributing Writer
The smooth sounds of the violin, the beautiful tones of the clarinet, and the hum of all the other instruments fill Edson Hall at Buena Vista University these days as students rehearse. The BVU Concert Band will perform its final concert of the year on May 10 at 3 p.m. in Schaller Chapel, which will feature a new twist this year, an actor.
Jerry Bertrand, Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music at BVU, leads the band and is looking forward to the concert because of the uniqueness of the event.
“Traditionally [during] the May concert we bring in a guest soloist, and this year we are doing something unique, in which we are bringing in an actor to perform with the band. It is two compositions, which are specifically written for a band and an actor, something different,” Bertrand said.
Bertrand is counting down the days until the concert with excitement to show the attendees who the actor collaborating with band is. Bertrand has 36 years of experience in music education, 16 of which he has spent teaching trumpet, and other musical instruments at BVU. Additionally, he has been a member of the Sioux City Symphony for over 30 years.
The concert will be a Cultural ACES event that aims to share with university students the BVU culture and to promote music. Bertrand feels this is an opportunity for building community because the concert will create an environment for guests to relax and to be entertained by beautiful music.
Band members are looking forward to performing with the actor. Jarrett Drummer, a member of band who plays the clarinet, shared his excitement about the upcoming show.
“It is exciting because I have not seen an actor work with a band ever. I want to see how it turns out,” Drummer said. “The actor who is coming has done this performance before for the original writer of this piece. The concert band got in touch with the actor through the writer of this piece. It is pretty neat.”
Bertrand sees BVU Concert Band, which was founded 95 years ago in 1924, as a tradition that continues to offer students the opportunity to play music at the college level. He believes the band was started because students had an interest in music from high school or childhood, and they wanted to continue the interest while at BVU.
“My hope is that the tradition of the band program continues offering students the ability to play their instruments,” Bertrand said.
The BVU Concert Band plays four concerts a year, two in the fall and two in the spring. The concert in May will be the final concert of the academic year.
