L-W East Marching Griffins Host Community Concert

The Lincoln-Way East Marching Griffins will host a community concert to unveil a portion of their 2014 field show on Saturday, August 16.

Students have been practicing nearly every day to prepare for the 2014 marching season, learning new music, refining their marching steps and building endurance for the multiple parades, halftime shows and competitive field shows that they participate in this school year.

As a “thank you” to the neighbors who have listened patiently to the sound of horns, rhythmic timekeepers and bass drums, the Marching Griffins will host their community concert at the LWE stadium, Saturday, August 16 beginning at 6:00 p.m. The concert should last approximately 45 minutes.

“Our marching experience at Lincoln-Way East is such a wonderfully supported endeavor that includes a combination of parent and community efforts that we could not exist without. Our students are exceptional on their own but because of the people in our neighborhoods and the support of our school district and our dedicated music boosters, our program has been allowed to flourish in this marching activity,” stated Bert Johnson, band director and music department chair.

This year’s competitive show is entitled: “…. and the mountains rising nowhere.” The show is derived from a 20th century avant garde musical work by composer Joseph Schwantner. East’s interpretation is based on not only the musical composition but also the poetry that inspired Joseph Schwantner to compose it. The poem is entitled “Arioso” and was penned by Carol Adler.

“Our 2014 production continues our forage into the contemporary area of the marching genre. Our students are driven by intellectual curiosity and how to convey expression of the things they think and feel while listening to an avante garde musical work,” said Johnson.