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Brass Band Will Give A Salute To America

William Berry Correspondent

The Spokane British Brass Band’s “Salute to America”, Thursday, Feb. 22, at The Met at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14, $16 or $20, students $7.50, and are available through G&B Select-a-Seat (325-SEAT) or at the door.

The Spokane British Brass Band, under the direction of Michael Warner, continues its inaugural season Thursday with a salute to America in honor of Presidents’ Day.

Think of the first five patriotic songs that come to mind, and the British Brass Band will be playing them all, plus a few marches for good measure.

In a British-style band, however, one cannot simply hand out Sousa’s original marches and begin to blow. The March King wrote for American bands, which include woodwinds - clarinets and piccolos and such.

The British configuration relies solely upon the brasses - cornets, euphoniums, trombones and tubas - with a few drums thrown in.

So rearrangements of Sousa will be included. It would simply be un-American not to play “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” They also will perform his “Liberty Bell March,” which began life as a patriotic tune but is more immediately recognizable today (no cracks, please) as the theme for the television program “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”

Copland’s spine-tingling “Fanfare for the Common Man” was conveniently written for brass and percussion, so the British Brass Band can play the original.

Copland’s message was that there are always the heroes, but it’s the regular folk who have built this country who deserve recognition.

The program will include a salute to the armed forces, honoring each of the five branches of the military. The band will be joined by a choir of spouses and volunteers who will sing “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “This Is My Country.” Flag-waving at this concert might be optional, but it will certainly be irrepressible.

The Spokane British Brass Band, although it includes several professional performers and music educators, is an all-volunteer organization.

Proceeds from its concerts benefit the Windermere Foundation, a non-profit organization associated with Windermere Real Estate that offers assistance to the homeless in Spokane.

, DataTimes