Cedar City Community Band to play free ‘Thunder’ themed concert at Cedar High

Written by Jeff Richards
April 20, 2024

CEDAR CITY — The Cedar City Community Band has announced it will host a free concert on Wednesday evening in the Cedar High School auditorium, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Members of Cedar City Community Band practice “The Thunderer” at Cedar High School, Cedar City, Utah, April 17, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

According to a news release sent out by band director Steve Shirts, the theme of the concert is “Thunder,” which is a tribute to the support of the Southern Utah University Music Department and the SUU Wind Symphony, which shared concerts and provided other assistance in helping get the current iteration of the Cedar City Community Band established around five years ago.

“It is also a tribute to SUU in general, as the mascot shifted from the Broncos to the Thunderbirds for the 1961-62 school year, when the school was then known as College of Southern Utah,” Shirts added in the news release.

Cedar City News caught up with Shirts and the community band at practice on Wednesday night, one week before their upcoming concert. The program is scheduled to begin with John Philip Sousa’s “The Thunderer” and end with “Rolling Thunder,” a 1911 composition by Henry Fillmore. To see the full program including a list of the performers, click here.

Shirts shared some interesting facts about the 68-member band, all of whom perform on an unpaid volunteer basis.

“We have seven married couples, six parents with children in the band and seven families with multiple members playing,” he said. “Our youngest member is 13 and our oldest ones are somewhere north of 80.”

Shirts said that while most of the band members live in either Cedar City or Enoch, some come from New Harmony and other outlying areas.

“One even travels from Hurricane,” he said.

Event flyer for upcoming Cedar City Community Band concert scheduled for April 24, 2024 at Cedar High School, Cedar City, Utah. | Image courtesy of Cedar City Community Band, George News / Cedar City News

Shirts said he had an audience member come up to him after a concert last year and say, “Non-auditioned community bands are not supposed to be this good.”

“I agree with that statement and share it frequently,” he said. “We have amazing musicians in our community and it’s an honor to be their conductor.”

On behalf of the band, Shirts expressed gratitude for its various sources of support, including Cedar City Council, RAP Tax Committee, Cedar City Mayor Garth Green, the SUU Music Department and Dr. Adam Lambert.

Shirts also thanked Cedar High teacher Keith Sorensen and the other band teachers throughout Iron County School District and Cedar High School for allowing the use of free rehearsal space and percussion equipment.

Shirts said the concert will be streamed live on YouTube at the following link, where it can also be viewed afterward.

Event details

  • What: Thunder,” a concert by the Cedar City Community Band
  • When: Wednesday, April 24 starting at 7:30 p.m.
  • Where: Cedar High School auditorium
  • Admission: Free and open to the public.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons and one granddaughter. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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