Our 2022-2023 Season
The Arizona Winds concluded its 2022-2023 concert season on Sunday, June 4th at 3:00 p.m. in the beautiful Vista Center for the Arts in Surprise. The concert, titled “Fireworks!”, will feature a wide variety of musical styles honoring this great country we are so privileged to call our home…America. The music celebrates both our cultural heritage and our brave men and women, past and present, who have served in our Armed Forces in defense of freedom and democracy. The program will feature marches by John Philip Sousa; songs like “Barbara Allen”, Yankee Doodle”, “America”, “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “America the Beautiful”, arranged in unique musical settings representing the diverse cultural heritage of the American people; and exciting and powerful works that celebrate the achievements, dedication and sacrifice of our men and women of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. This musical potpourri also includes classic Broadway showstoppers by George M. Cohan like “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, “Mary’s a Grand Ol’ Name” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, as well as music from motion picture favorites including “76 Trombones” from Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, and marches composed by Jerry Goldsmith for MacArthur and Patton.
The Arizona Winds Concert Band continues to add some impressive and entertaining musical moments to its to its already robust 2022-2023 concert season with a Spring offering of popular French Romantic Era compositions. This special presentation by the West Valley-based community band, under the direction of Music Director and Conductor, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Ret.) Rich Shelton, is titled “French Impressions”, and will be presented on Sunday, April 16th at the Vista Center for the Arts in Surprise at 3:00 p.m. Musical offerings during the afternoon concert include works by highly revered French composers including Hector Berlioz (Roman Carnival Overture), Claude DeBussy (The Engulfed Cathedral), Camille Saint-Saens (March Militaire Francaise), Georges Bizet (Farandole from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2), Jacque Offenbach (La Belle Helene Overture), Paul Fauchett (Overture to Symphony in Bb), and others. Mark your calendars now, you won’t want to miss this free concert.
The Arizona Winds, a popular West Valley-based community band under the direction of Music Director and Conductor, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Ret.) Rich Shelton, will present a very special concert on Sunday, February 19th, celebrating the 91st birthday of one of America’s most iconic film composers—five-time Oscar winner John Williams. “I have never met anyone who doesn’t love anything John Williams has written for the big screen”, said Colonel Shelton. “When we presented our last concert of John Williams movie music five years ago, we literally had a standing room only crowd. No doubt it was our all-time most popular concert”, added Shelton.
In over six decades and 111 motion pictures, John Williams has composed some of the most iconic, critically acclaimed, and memorable film scores in cinematic history. He has won an incredible 25 Grammy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Academy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. With 52 Academy Award nominations, second only to Walt Disney, Williams is the second most-nominated individual in history.
What makes this Arizona Winds concert so unique is that the audience will be watching movie clips specifically edited to accompany each of ten John Williams movie scores. The band’s announcer, John Sipple, will introduce each film with additional background information to enhance the entire concert experience. “This season we’ll introduce a number of John Williams film scores that are different from our 2018 Williams concert”, said Colonel Shelton. The concert lineup will include music from Hook (starred Dustin Hoffman); the 1975 thriller, Jaws; The Terminal (starred Tom Hanks); E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; Close Encounters of the Third Kind (starred Richard Dryfuss); Far and Away (starred Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman); Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; Raider’s of the Lost ArkI (starred Harrison Ford); and selections from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
The Arizona Winds brings their special and exciting level of entertainment to the stage beginning October 9th with a concert entitled “Fiesta”, inspired by various styles of music from Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the United States. “This will be one fiery program”, remarked Colonel Shelton. “We’re always excited to feature local trumpet phenom Dan Reed, who, among other features, will be performing Chuck Mangione’s Children of Sanchez.” Other music featured on the program includes a number of Spanish, Cuban and Mexican-inspired works depicting Latin street carnivals, fiestas and dances: Portraits of Spain; two pieces by John Philip Sousa entitle Cubaland, Under the Spanish and Cuban Flags; the ever-popular Spanish songs Granada and Malaguena; the third movement (Carnival) from H. Owen Reed’s La Fiesta Mexicana, and more.
The Arizona Winds brings “The Wonder of Christmas” to the West Valley on Sunday, December 4th. Those that have enjoyed the Arizona Winds’ Christmas concerts in previous years will tell you that the band does not disappoint when it comes to putting its many enthusiasts in the holiday spirit. The program always includes new and interesting Christmas favorites like this year’s unique arrangements including Minor Alterations: Christmas Through the Looking Glass; Dream in the Silent Night; Nutcracker Fantasy; One Torch, Two Women, Three Ships and Men Rejoicing; Leroy Anderson’s ever-popular A Christmas Festival; Victor Herbert’s March of the Toys; and many more.