Of late Lander University has enjoyed visits by groups such as the Dallas Brass and members of the National Symphony Orchestra. Accompanying those visits have been opportunities for Lander students, along with community high school students, to receive instruction from practicing musical masters. These interactions have also provided young musicians a glimpse into the college performance experience. One upcoming Lander concert will go the distance to continue this valued and experiential outreach.

    On Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 8 p.m., Lander’s Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds will delight audiences with their first performance of the semester, “Friends Near and Far.” The concert will be held in Lander’s Cultural Center Auditorium.

     Under the direction of Dr. Christopher Hughes, Lander assistant professor of music, the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds will be joined, as the event title suggests, by a few talented friends.

    The first guest will be the Blythewood High School Symphonic Band under the direction of 2000 Lander graduate Glen Funderburk.

    Funderburk, a Greenwood native, began his first band director appointment at Bythewood Middle School. He is now director of bands at Blythewood High School in Richland County. Funderburk and the Blythewood band will kick off the performance, with piano accompaniment by Dr. Anthony Lenti, Lander emeritus professor of music, and guest conducting by Hughes.

    A performance by the Wind Ensemble will follow, featuring Dr. David Johansen, the second guest and trombone soloist.  

    Johansen is an associate professor of Trombone at Southeastern Louisiana University. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Fort Hays State University, a Master of Science in music education from the University of Illinois and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in trombone performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa.

    More importantly, in this instance, Johansen has been a longtime friend and mentor to Hughes. Hughes cites Johansen as a very influential part of his undergraduate education at Western State College in Gunnison, Co. Johansen’s involvement in the upcoming concert will reunite the teacher, Johansen, and his former student, Hughes, after more than a decade apart.

    For the final two pieces of the evening, both the Lander Wind Ensemble and the Blythewood High School Symphonic Band will take the stage for a group performance.    

    Admission is free and open to the public. For further information, call the Fine Arts box office at 864-388-8800. Information about other upcoming Lander arts events is available on the university’s Web site, www.lander.edu, then click on Calendars.