Alva Review-Courier -

Northwestern Oklahoma State University will play host to the 2022 Red Carpet Honor Band on Friday and Saturday, March 4-5, where nearly 300 middle and high school musicians will be on the Alva campus.

Following a number of rehearsals, these students from across northwest Oklahoma will perform in a free concert open to the public Saturday, March 5, at 1:30 p.m. in Herod Hall Auditorium.

These students will form three bands: Junior High A Band, Junior High B Band and High School Band. The students will rehearse all day Friday and Saturday morning before Saturday’s concert. The students will demonstrate what they learned over the course of two days in their performance.

Schools with participants include Blackwell, Chisholm, Cimarron, Covington-Douglas, Drummond, Enid High School, Enid Emerson Junior High, Enid Longfellow Junior High, Enid Walter Junior High, Fairview, Garber, Hennessey, Kingfisher, Laverne, Medford, Mooreland, Newkirk, Okarche, Okeene, Perry, Pioneer-Pleasant Vale, Ponca City East, Ponca City West, Ponca City High School, Pond Creek-Hunter, Ringwood, Seiling, Tonkawa, Waukomis, Waynoka and Woodward.

Dr. Michael Black, assistant professor of music and director of bands at Northwestern, said it is a wonderful opportunity for students to make a connection with the Ranger and Alva community.

“This event will bring out the most outstanding band students in the Red Carpet area of Oklahoma,” Black said. “We hope to build bridges that will bring these wonderful students back to our campus as undergraduate students.”

Later in the day on March 5, university students in Northwestern’s wind and jazz ensembles will present their spring concert “Sounds of Nature” at 7 p.m. This concert also is free and open to the public.

For more information on Northwestern’s instrumental music program, contact Black at580-327-8191 or [email protected]; or go to http://www.nwosu.edu/school-of-arts-and-sciences/fine-arts/bands-and-instrumental-music.