“This season, the band has decided to go on tour, so to speak. Many years ago, under founder, Bill Steihl, the band was based at Middletown High School, and we had a concert at Middletown, in Hamilton, and a concert in Fairfield. So, we decided to go back to that particular model to see if we can increase our audience base, and make it more accessible for folks that live in other communities,” Nichols said. “So, this year, we are going on the road. We will begin at Middletown High School, then travel to Hamilton High School, and our third concert will be at the Mason Middle School.”
In prior seasons, the band has regularly performed at Dave Finkelman Auditorium at Miami University Middletown.
Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band’s annual holiday concert, “The Night Before Christmas,” will be at Middletown High School on Dec. 15. The band will perform “American Portraits” at Hamilton High School on March 2, 2025, and conclude the tour with “Twentieth Century Masters” at Mason Middle School on April 27, 2025.
All concerts begin at 2:30 p.m. Admission is free and it is open to the public.
“Our first concert has a holiday theme, ‘The Night Before Christmas,’ and it features an extremely talented guest narrator, Sara Clark, from the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company,” Nichols said.
“The Night Before Christmas” will present the sounds of the holiday season. Highlights include “Carol of the Drum,” (“The Little Drummer Boy”) by Katherine Davis, “Good Swing Wenceslas,” by Sammy Nestico, and “A Most Wonderful Christmas” arranged by Robert Sheldon.
Nichols has also programmed two marches, Kenneth Alford’s “Colonel Bogey,” and the “Children’s March” by Percy Grainger. The band will continue its tradition of honoring veterans with Bob Lowden’s “Armed Forces Salute,”
The reading of Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, “The Night Before Christmas,” arranged by Randol Alan Bass, will feature Clark, performing the poem’s narration. Clark is a distinguished actor, who has made her mark over the past 20 years at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. She has starred in over 75 productions in iconic roles such as Juliet, Marc Anthony, Lady Macbeth, and most recently, in “Hamlet.”
To round out the concert in an annual holiday tradition, the band will perform Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” as it invites elementary age children to join the band’s percussion section for the song.
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The Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band is made up of about 70 community members, including professional, and semi-professional musicians, and retired music educators from across the tri-state area, including Dayton, Lawrenceburg, Ind. and Northern Kentucky, who volunteer each season. The band is sponsored by the Middletown Symphony Orchestra Legacy Fund, the Miriam G. Knoll Charitable Foundation, Buddy Roger/Willis Music, and the band’s many patrons. Visit www.sosband.org for more information.