Arizona Winds announces its new concert season

15660 North Parkview Place,Surprise AZ 85374

17 October, 2021

Description

Colonel Shelton has planned an exciting spaced-based program for the October 17th concert called Galactic Empires The Arizona Winds, one of the oldest and most highly acclaimed performing groups in Greater Phoenix, is ready to bring its unique brand of musical entertainment back to life following its nearly 18-month pandemic-generated hiatus. The 46-year-old musical organization will host a regular season of five new and exciting community concerts beginning Sunday, October 17th in its new performance venue, The Vista Center for the Arts in Surprise (NOTE: date changed from October 24th as previously announced). “We are so excited to begin performing again and doing so in a dedicated performing arts center that is so much more conducive to live musical performance. And, with 1,300 seats, the new venue is much larger and more audience-friendly than our previous venue”, stated the band’s Music Director and Conductor, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Ret.) Rich Shelton. Inspired by America’s renewed interest and recent events in the space program by NASA and space entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, Colonel Shelton has planned an exciting spaced-based program for the October 17th concert called “Galactic Empires”. “The program will feature space-related videos and slides accompanying exciting and enchanting music to include the iconic Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, used as a title opener to the movie “2001 A Space Odyssey”, music from Star Trek III by famed Hollywood composer James Horner, themes from the motion picture Mission to Mars by composer legend Ennio Morrocone’s, and a number of new works for band including Galactic Empires, Music from Space, Journey Through Orion, to name a few”, stated Colonel Shelton. “The program will give the audience a taste of the incredible beauty and vastness of space, the final frontier,’” added Shelton. In light of ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19, the band requests that patrons consider their current health status and individual level of comfort in attending its performances at the Vista Center for the Arts. Arizona Winds concerts will be held at 3:00 p.m. at the Vista Center for the Arts, 15660 N. Parkview Place, Surprise. For further information about the band’s season, or to contribute to its operating fund, visit the band’s website at www.azwinds.com and Facebook. The Arizona Winds celebrated their 40th year in 2014 as a West Valley cultural institution.  The band’s musicians, comprised of adults from across the Valley of the Sun and representing numerous professions from music educators to engineers, homemakers to landscape contractors, continue the tradition of sharing their love of music and enriching the lives of thousands of patrons throughout the state of Arizona each year.  Over the years, many well known music industry personalities have guest conducted the Arizona Winds to include Geoffrey Brand of the London Wind Ensemble, A.S.C.A.P. composer William H. Hill, Arizona State University Director of Bands (ret.) Dr. Richard Strange, past Northern Arizona University Director of Bands Dr. Patricia Hoy, retired Northern Arizona University Director of Bands Dr. Donald Wolf and Col. John R. Bourgeois (USMC, Ret.) of the world renowned ‘Presidents Own’ US Marine Corp Band from Washington D.C. The Arizona Winds is a 501C(3) non-profit organization which presents a series of six free concerts each season and depends entirely upon the generous tax-deductible contributions of its patrons to sustain the level of quality performances thousands have enjoyed.