The Heisey Wind Ensemble will begin their 40th Anniversary Season with a concert titled Chillers and Thrillers on Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be held at the John W. Alford Performing Arts Hall in the John Gilbert Reese Center on the campus of The Ohio State University at Newark and Central Ohio Technical College.
Dr. Russel Mikkelson, Music Director and Principal Conductor, has programmed “Chillers and Thrillers” – movie music by John Williams, “October” by Eric Whitacre, “Who is That Masked Man” arranged by Jay Bocook, and Robert W. Smith’s “The Devine Comedy”. Also known as Symphony No. 1, “The Devine Comedy” is a four-movement work based on Dante Alighieri’s literary classic of the same name.
The HWE, formed in 1985, is recognized as one of Ohio’s finest adult concert bands. Membership is by audition only and includes outstanding musicians from Licking, Franklin, Fairfield, Guernsey, Delaware, Coshocton, and Muskingum counties. The band has been selected to perform at conventions of the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) and the American School Band Directors Association (ASBDA). The first rehearsal for the HWE was on February 1, 1985, and the first concert was on June 10, 1985. The group has performed 160 concerts to date.
The concerts in the 2024-2025 40th Anniversary Season are Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 7:30 pm (at Newark High School); Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 7:30 pm; and the HWE Big Band on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 7:30 pm. All concerts, except December, are at the Reese Center on the Newark Campus of OSU and COTC.
Tickets for HWE concerts are available only at the door. Adults are $15, seniors (60+) are $10 and students are $5. Additional information can be found at the band’s web site at www.heiseywindensemble.org