Celebration of Joy

Grade 3 Concert Band
 
Celebration Of Joy was commissioned by the children of C. Joy Stowers for the Jasper/Newton Community Band, the ensemble that Mrs. Stowers founded and directed  for 25 years. It was premiered at their December 2014 Sounds of the Season Concert in Kentland, Indiana. The piece incorporates the hymn, Take My Life and Let It Be, one of Joy’s favorites. The trumpet and baritone each have solos, being the instruments that she played. The work then moves into a “ band rehearsal” section, using scales and rudiments as Joy would of during her rehearsals, and broadens into a majestic celebration of life, finishing with a “reveille” to end in triumph. The recording on our website is a performance in May 2017 by the Concordia Lutheran High School Band, Adam Friederich, Conductor in the Rhinehart Music Center, IPFW Campus, Fort Wayne, Indiana.