Did you know that Lenoir High School's 100-year anniversary is this year? To celebrate that milestone, the North Carolina Brass Band will perform a free concert at the LHS auditorium Friday, Sept. 30.
The North Carolina Brass Band (NCBB) is a 28-member ensemble composed of brass players and percussionists. The band includes symphony orchestra musicians, leading soloists, chamber music professionals, jazz artists, brass and percussion professors at universities throughout the region, and highly sought-after freelance professionals. The NCBB provides concertgoers with a variety of musical styles including transcriptions of music for orchestra, wind band, choir, jazz and pop music.
The concert is free, but since seating is limited attendees have to register for tickets. Click the following link to reserve seats, www.eventeny.com/events/ticket/?id=3769.
City Councilman Jonathan Beal and local Harper School graduate Talia Szatmari will be playing trumpet on one song during the concert, "Seventy-Six Trombones" the signature song from the 1957 musical The Music Man. Councilman Beal said most, if not all, of the songs will be familiar to the audience.
"I’ve talked to the director, Brian Meixner, and he’s going to make the concert very audience-friendly with music that people know," Councilman Beal said. "The songs will be a combination of styles - Jazz, Big Band, Classical. It’ll be fun."
The North Carolina Brass Band is one of maybe a dozen traditional bass bands in the country, meaning there are no woodwinds. Hibriten High School is lending some larger percussion instruments to NCBB to use during the show. Councilman Beal said anyone interested in music should reserve a ticket.
"It’s really a unique group to be able to see and hear in Lenoir," Councilman Beal said. "Thank you to Hibriten High School for lending their percussion instruments. This will be a fantastic concert."
Click the following link to reserve tickets for the show, www.eventeny.com/events/ticket/?id=3769.
The Harper School, Caldwell Arts Council Heritage Museum are all sponsors of this event.
Lenoir High School (LHS) opened in 1922. The first LHS senior class graduated in 1923. LHS closed in 1977. In 1989, a company leased part of the school from the City of Lenoir and created downtown, senior-living apartments.
The City retained control of the auditorium, gymnasium, band building, trades/masonry building, and Mack Cook Stadium. Last year, staff started the process to renovate and redevelop those properties into an event venue known as The Campus at the Historic Lenoir High School.
Find out more about the NCBB on their website at www.ncbrassband.org.
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The North Carolina Brass Band (Photo from https://www.ncbrassband.org/).
The exterior of the LHS auditorium was decorated for Christmas last year.
A group sings during the Christmas show at LHS auditorium last year.
The Campus at the Historic Lenoir High School includes the auditorium, gymnasium, band building, trades/masonry building, and Mack Cook Stadium.