The concert will last about an hour with the debut of some new drumline material and a variety of other routines. The students will perform on tenor and bass drums, cymbals, and snares.
According to Jared Sell, one of the student organizers of the concert, the event “will have the feel of a concert crossed with a pep rally –very upbeat, lively, and fun!” He also promises a few surprises and says: “We are keeping pretty tight-lipped about our set list for the concert, but what I can tell you is that if you saw the ‘Rhody Rally,’ that was only a warm-up act.”
This concert is the first benefit project for the drumline, although other groups have hosted fund-raisers through the marching band as a whole. Inspired by the Red Cross response last August when Hurricane Irene affected many students and cut short URI’s Band camp by a day, as well as the agency’s relief work during other natural disasters, the band drumline members see the concert as a way to give back to an organization that has helped them, their friends, and the local community.
According to Sell, another reason for the concert is the growth of the drumline section of the band and the expansion of their repertoire. “We finally have enough material to fill a long time slot,” he says, “so why not put on a fundraiser concert to give back to the community that has supported us?”
The URI Concert Hall is handicap-accessible, and parking is available in the lot behind the Fine Arts Center, off Bills Road.
For more information, please contact the URI Department of Music, 874-2431, or check the website: www.uri.edu/music.