First-ever Musical Collaboration between Wind Symphony and UPHS
Rick Langenberg
In a rare partnership, the Woodland Park Wind Symphony and the Ute Pass Historical Society (UPHS) will join forces in an upcoming concert at Dickson Auditorium on Sept. 27.
Entitled “City Above the Clouds,” the concert pays tribute to the history of Colorado, Woodland Park and the entire Teller County/Ute Pass area. Craig Harms, music director of the WP Wind Symphony, wanted to collaborate with the UPHS to present a concert for the community.
The concert will feature some classic pieces, including Harms’ “City Above the Clouds” commissioned piece that tells the story of Woodland Park and the Ute Pass area over the last 150 years. In addition, other classics to be featured include “Colorado Rockies” by Rossano Galante and “Woodland Park Overture” by Walter Cummings. Bryan Critchlow commissioned this later piece when he was the band director at the WP Middle School.
The main concert highlight will feature the Wind Symphony musicians playing vintage brass instruments, while wearing Civil War jackets. The Civil War bass brass instruments are from the collection of Fred Feinsod. Feinsod will be playing tuba during the concert.
These historic brass instruments were used during the Civil War. Positioned in front of the troops, musicians played as soldiers marched and used musical signals to relay orders. The Ute Pass region has a strong but often overlooked connection to the war. Event organizers noted that each instrument has its own history.
The free concert also will showcase a UPHS table with displays from their museum.
The impetus behind the concert occurred during the summer when UPHS hosted an old fashion baseball game at the old Saddle Club rodeo grounds. “We loaned part of our sound equipment to them for their old-fashioned baseball game this summer and that started both organizations thinking about a musical concert collaboration,” noted Harms.
The WP Woodland Park Wind Symphony has been in existence for over 30 years, under the direction of Harms, the former band director of the Woodland Park High School. The Wind Symphony performs a variety of free concerts in Woodland Park throughout the year. The WP Symphony is most well-known for their July 4th and Christmas shows, but they have shined in performing music from diverse genres. They play annually at the Ent Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs.
As a 501(c)(3 non-profit organization, all symphony members are volunteers and do not receive a salary. According to Harms, “generous audience donations and grants” enable the Wind Symphony to perform many free concerts for the Woodland Park community.
The doors open Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. with the concert scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. The UPHS displays will be featured in the Dickson auditorium area, starting at 3:30 p.m.
For more information, visit the Woodland Park Wind Symphony’s website.
