The Americana Ensemble concert is Fri., April 1, at 7 p.m. It will be located in the Borland-Manske Center in the Charlie and Ling Zhang Orchestra Hall, and is free to attend!

Director and Music Department Chair, Dr. Tom Mueller said, “The ensemble rehearses once a week and members prepare outside of that rehearsal to learn their parts.” He added, “It’s like a bluegrass band or jazz group, but some people may have solos, a fiddle or guitar solo may just happen in the middle of a piece. There’s lots of variety from instruments and voices.” 

“The ensemble performs a variety of music,” Mueller explained, “We start by exploring bluegrass, traditional Irish music, blues, jazz, and swing, many of which are arrangements that I put together personally. We also have some traditional country style tunes. A specific piece is a modern classical style version of ’I Wonder as I Wander,’ and it’s a grab bag but a lot is represented.” 

“Coming out of the pandemic, the thing I’m most looking forward to is being able to connect with a live audience,” Mueller said. “It feels like you’re working in a vacuum if you’re working towards a performance that may not happen. The music comes alive with an audience. It gives us an opportunity to connect with the community.”

Singer, guitar player, and junior Abby Schwichtenberg said, “The Americana Ensemble focuses on folk music consisting of fiddles, guitars, and mandolin. We perform both instrumental and vocal tunes.” Schwichtenberg is most excited to, “perform these tunes that we’ve worked hard on all semester.”

Join Concordia's Americana Ensemble and celebrate the acoustic music of bluegrass, old-time, country, swing, gospel, and other genres in the string band tradition. Park in the main Concordia lot (parking is free), then walk down the hill to the Borland-Manske Center. Remember, tickets are free, but a ticket is required to enter so use this link (https://www.simpletix.com/e/americana-ensemble-spring-concert-tickets-75488) to grab a ticket and support our fellow students in all their dedication and hard work. 

Tags: Alexander Carr, event

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