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The Wartburg College Concert Bands (WCCB) are the primary bands at Wartburg College, a four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Waverly, Iowa. The bands are currently under the direction of Dr. Craig Hancock. The WCCB prides itself as one, unified, band program despite existing as two distinct bands, the Symphonic Band and the Wind Ensemble. The two are almost identical in instrumentation and share leadership and traditions. The primary difference between the bands is the size. The Symphonic Band is larger, allowing for mass participation and larger sound, whearas the Wind Ensemble is smaller, allowing them to tour annually. Michael L. Shraer of the ''Waverly Democrat'' praised the bands, saying "... (Hancock's ) two ensembles provided, between them, a high-energy, highly-listenable repertoire featuring appropriately-forceful percussion, well-disciplined brass and a skilled woodwind section..."〔http://communitynewspapergroup.com/articles/2011/10/21/waverly_newspapers/news/doc4ea02c03ee15d833009371.txt〕 The WCCB is open to all majors and years making for a very diverse, yet close-knit program.〔http://www.wartburg.edu/band/〕 == History == The first mention of a Wartburg Band comes in 1898, but it disappeared from all college records immediately after its founding and didn't reappear again until 1914. The Great Depression forced the abandonment of the band program in 1931, but it was revived in 1937 until 1942 when the campus didn't have enough qualified musicians due to World War II. Following the war, however, the band program was resumed, and it has flourished since. Somewhere in the band's history, probably under the direction of Dr. Robert E. Lee, the Wartburg College Concert Band made an international tour of Europe. That became the tradition henceforth that every three years the band would make a tour of Europe. Dr. Lee could make the claim to prospective students that if they came to Wartburg and played in his band, he would take them to Europe sometime in their career. In the fall of 1997, due to overwhelming participation, the Wartburg College Concert Band split into a two-band program. The resulting ensembles, the Symphonic Band and the Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Craig Hancock, have retained the traditions and the same high standard of excellence. For these reasons the groups remain united under the title of the Wartburg College Concert Bands. The Wind Ensemble maintains the tradition of making a tour abroad every three years, in 2007 making a tour of Japan rather than Europe. In 2010, the Wind Ensemble returned to Europe, but plans are being made for Japan again in 2013. The Wind Ensemble performed at the 2000 Iowa Bandmasters Association conference as the college honor band from the state. Guest directors on the concert included Dr. Myron Welch, Dr. Robert E. Lee, and August Knoll. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wartburg College Concert Bands」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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