WINONA LAKE – The Grace College Community Wind Ensemble will present a tribute to President John F. Kennedy Nov. 22 when it performs “Flashback ’63” in Rodeheaver Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The concert theme will take the audience on a nostalgic visit back to the music and in events occurring 50 years ago, 1963. November 22 marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy. During the first half of the concert, the 72-member band will perform “musical tributes” to Kennedy, including “Bernstein: Suite from Mass,” which was commissioned by the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Canadian Brass Quintet for the dedication of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Featured soloists will be Grace alumni Eric Criss and Carus Shaffer on trumpets, Josh Murray on French horn, Dr. James Kraft on trombone, and Charles Westra on tuba. Also in the Kennedy tribute the band will perform a solemn arrangement of “Abide with Me” that intertwines the hymn tune and Taps. The music of Mozart also was played at the Kennedy funeral and the wind ensemble will be performing two selections: Mozart’s “Agnus Dei” from his “Requiem” and the “Alleluia” from “Exsultate, jubilate, Motet.” Rounding out the first half of the concert will be a selection with narration by Larry Peppel, titled “Ask Not” and reflects on JFK’s life before, during and about that fateful day and tragic historical event: In JFK’s famous address he called for Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” Many of us remember where we were that day. But there’s a whole new generation (or two) of Americans who were either too young or not yet born, for whom the event risks fading into the dim and distant past, losing its power to move us. The Kennedy Presidency has come to be known as “Camelot.” The 1960 Broadway musical was JFK's favorite. The wind ensemble will perform “Highlights from Camelot” on the second half of the program. Jackie Kennedy said that “Camelot” was the last record album that the president played at night before going to sleep. She said that the last song on the album was his favorite. Conductor Martin Becker said, “Music has long provided people with solace and the means to mourn collectively and also to heal together. Music allows us to not only commemorate past losses but also to celebrate the present and offer hope and joy for our future. The concert will offer the audience many opportunities to reflect and relive the events and music of the sixties. The concert would be an excellent opportunity to educate younger generation on these historic events in our history.” The second half of the program will be lighter in content as the band will pay tribute to another historic event also 50 years ago - “The British Invasion,” the Beatles and the beginning of “Beatle mania.” Beatle mania was in full swing. Band members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison were the pop culture icons from 1960-1970. Their music continues to be popular today. The wind ensemble will perform “Symphonic Beatles,” a medley of many of the popular Beatle songs. The audience is encouraged to arrive early to get a good seat and also enjoy a pre-concert slide show and musical presentation about the events, music, popular TV shows, movies and inventions that were popular 50 years ago in 1963. Push-button telephones were introduced, first-class postage cost 5 cents, a gallon of gas cost 30 cents and the population of the world was 3.2 billion, less than half of what it is today. Hula Hoops, Silly String and Hacky Sacks came on the scene, and films included “The Birds” and “The Great Escape” and popular TV programs “Candid Camera,” “The Virginian,” “Bonanza,” “Beverly Hillbillies” and "Lassie.” Ladies fashion clothes and hairstyles included fur boots and towering hairdo’s for evening wear. The concert is free and will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Rodeheaver Auditorium in Winona Lake.
