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The W.D. Packard Concert Band's first concert of 2024 and Galen S. Karriker's first concert as its new conductor will look back a century ago.
"For this program in January, there are some newer things on it, but a lot of it is old, traditional, what folks might call old warhorse band repertoire that are also anniversaries," Karriker said.
John Philip Sousa marches always have been an important part of the band's repertoire, and Sousa's "Black Horse Troop" march was written in 1924 in honor of a Cleveland National Guard unit.
Robert Vaughan Williams' Folk Song Suite, which also is on the program, made its concert band debut in 1923 and its orchestral debut the following year.
Karriker, who is director of bands at the University of Akron, also programmed a Symphonic Gershwin medley because it includes a snippet of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," which was performed for the first time on Feb. 12, 1924.
"I'm actually going to program `Rhapsody in Blue' with our recently retired piano prof at Akron on Feb. 12, 100 years to the day that `Rhapsody in Blue' premiered," Karriker said. "When I discovered that a couple years ago, it was like, `I gotta program that.' So I wanted to put the Symphonic Gershwin on because there's no way we're going to be able to do the full `Rhapsody in Blue' with the piano solo with the band."
Karriker called Giuseppe Verdi's "La Forza Del Destino" overture one of his favorite works, and the band also will play Steve Rouse's arrangement of the spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."
"Growing up in a Southern Baptist environment in southern Louisiana, I just knew it as a child from being sung in church," Karriker said. "I didn't know until years later when I was teaching and this piece came out and Mr. Rouse wrote a lengthy explanation how `Swing Low' was a code song for the Underground Railroad, which came straight through Ohio. That's why I programmed it."
Homes on Mahoning Avenue NW just south of Packard Music Hall were hiding places for fleeing slaves on the Underground Railroad.
Other selections for the 3 p.m. Sunday concert include "Auld Lang Syne," Julie Giroux's Medalist Fanfare, Percy Aldridge Grainger's "Australian Up-Country Tune" (arranged by Glenn Cliffe Bainum), D Delle Cese's "L'Inglesina" symphonic march, the pop standard "Hey, Look Me Over" (arranged by John Cacavas) and Jose Padilla's "El Relicario" paso doble.
Thomas Groth, executive director of the Packard band, said, "It all will be very enjoyable for the audience and will introduce him as conductor of the band."
If you go …
WHAT: W.D. Packard Concert Band with Galen S. Karriker, conductor
WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren
HOW MUCH: Admission is free, and funding is provided by the W.D. Packard trust.