Sunday afternoon on Long Island has a way of slowing down in April. The air isn’t quite warm yet, but it’s getting there, and if you’re lucky, you find yourself somewhere beautiful with nowhere else to be.
The Northwinds Symphonic Band is offering exactly that kind of afternoon on April 19. The ensemble will perform its annual spring program, “Concert Band Classics and Virtuoso Artistry,” at 3 p.m. at the Sands Point Preserve in Nassau County. Conductors Helen P. Bauer and Concetta Stevens have put together a program that mixes crowd-pleasing solo showcases with serious concert band literature. Something for everyone, basically.
The soloists are worth showing up for on their own.
Flugelhorn player Matt Deegan leads off with “Twilight in Central Park,” a jazz ballad that should suit the spring setting nicely. Then piccolo player Jessica Palen and euphonium player Nicoletta Kenny team up for “The Elephant and the Flea,” a lighthearted polka that the program describes as, well, lighthearted. Percussionist Ryan Mitchell takes on the marimba for “Fiddle Faddle,” a piece that demands perpetual-motion technique and tends to put a grin on people’s faces whether they know anything about music or not.
Not a bad afternoon so far.
But the program keeps going. Tubist Dan Yankow gets a full mini-concerto to himself: “Divertimento for Tuba and Band,” which the band says showcases the instrument’s versatility. The tuba doesn’t always get that kind of spotlight, and it’s a treat when it does. Then comes “Satchmo!,” a tribute to Louis Armstrong featuring trumpet solos from Michael Palczewski and Caitlin Mallon. Armstrong’s legacy in American music is about as towering as it gets, and hearing live brass pay homage to him in an outdoor preserve setting ought to be memorable.
The ensemble pieces round out the afternoon with some genuinely ambitious repertoire.
“Variations on a Korean Folksong” takes the traditional song “Arirang” and weaves it through Western tonal techniques while adding percussion touches that keep the Eastern character intact. It’s the kind of piece that works on multiple levels, whether you’re following the compositional structure or just letting the melody carry you. Gustav Holst’s “First Suite in E-flat” is a three-movement cornerstone of concert band literature, the sort of piece that serious ensembles program because it demands serious playing. “The Pilgrim’s Chorus” from Wagner’s opera “Tannhäuser” brings a reverent, hymn-like quality to the mix. Works by Richard Strauss and Paul Murtha fill out the rest of the program.
The Sands Point Preserve sits on more than 200 acres along the North Shore, and it’s one of those Nassau County spots that still manages to feel like a discovery even if you’ve been there before. Hosting a full symphonic band concert there on a Sunday afternoon in spring is the kind of community programming that doesn’t cost the county a dime in public money and gives residents something genuinely worth their time.
Community bands like Northwinds don’t always get the attention they deserve. These aren’t professional orchestras with marketing budgets and publicists. They’re local musicians, many of them with day jobs and families, who show up week after week to rehearse because they love playing. The skill level in a well-run symphonic band can be striking to first-time listeners who walk in expecting something modest and walk out genuinely impressed.
The April 19 concert was first reported by Long Island Press.
Bauer and Stevens have built a program that respects both the musicians and the audience. There’s no filler here. From the jazz ballad to the Wagner chorus to the Armstrong tribute, the afternoon moves through different moods without losing coherence. That kind of curation takes work.
Doors open at 3 p.m. at the Sands Point Preserve. Spring on the North Shore, live music, free parking. Harder to find a better way to spend a Sunday.