The University of Central Arkansas Wind Ensemble was recently selected to be a representative of Arkansas for the American Celebration of Music in Austria in May 2008.
The celebration is a series of concerts throughout 2008 by American orchestras, choirs, wind ensembles or dance troupes.
Pending fundraising success, the UCA group will perform two concerts in Salzburg and two in Vienna from May 5-12.
According to Music Celebrations International, "the festival incorporates the concerts into various special musical celebrations taking place in Austria.
Music and dance groups are featured in a variety of performing venues, from historic cathedrals and concert halls to palaces, spa resorts and historic outdoor settings."
"It's not every day that a student gets to perform in one of the most celebrated venues in Europe - the Schnbrunn Palace," said Dr. Ricky Brooks, associate professor of music and director of bands at UCA. "There will be a lot of people who don't know where Arkansas is and have never heard of UCA, but once we perform, they will know the caliber of students we have."
The UCA Wind Ensemble submitted an application and a CD of selected music last spring from the wind ensemble's 2006-07 concerts.
An American/Austrian music committee judged the CD and extended the invitation.
Brooks said each chosen group was assigned to one of three performance tiers according to the strength of its audition CD with the higher the performance tier, the more prestigious the concert venue.
The UCA Wind Ensemble was placed in the highest performance tier, and its premier concert will be in the Orangery Hall of the Schnbrunn Palace in Vienna, the site of many of Europe's finest orchestra and opera performances.
According to a Music Celebrations International press release, the goal of the organizers is to include at least one instrumental and one choral group from each of the 50 states to participate in the American Celebration of Music in Austria.
The trip will cost UCA about $140,000 for 50 students, two directors and 10 guests, and the Department of Music needs to raise $20,000.
To help defray expenses, a Band Extravaganza will be held Sunday, Nov. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall on the UCA campus.
The extravaganza will include performances by the Bear Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Flag Line and Feature Twirlers.
Tickets are $10 at the door with all proceeds to go toward the Austria tour.
"The UCA Band Extravaganza will become an annual event," Brooks said. "We planned to have the first Extravaganza during Fall 2008. The Wind Ensemble's invitation to Austria, along with the need for fundraising, pushed the launch date to this fall. It's going to be two hours of musical variety, UCA Band style! If you enjoyed the Bear Marching Band during football season, you'll love it up close and personal."
According to the press release, the week in Austria will include performances, sightseeing, cultural exchanges and other cultural activities.
Austria has been birthplace, refuge and residence to some of the world's greatest composers, conductors and musical geniuses.
Among those with Austrian ties are Gluck, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Bruckner, Brahms, Strauss, Mahler, Schonberg, Herbert von Karajan and Karl Bohm.
The Habsburgs, rulers of Austria for more than 700 years, fostered, sponsored and cultivated musicians and artists and made Vienna the music capital of the world.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the University's Centennial. CFAC was founded in 1997; what is now UCA was founded in 1907 when the Arkansas Legislature approved a bill to establish the state's first teacher-training school.
It was called Arkansas State Normal School, Arkansas State Teachers College and State College of Arkansas before becoming the University of Central Arkansas in 1975.
The institution has grown from 100 students to more than 12,000 and is Arkansas's second-largest, four-year comprehensive university.
For more information, call Brooks at 450-5764 or e-mail rickyb@uca.edu.
