The Shelby Community Band will be in concert Sunday at The Commons presenting a free solar-eclipse-themed concert, “From the Earth to The Moon”.
Photo provided
Entertainment will be written in the stars and more for those taking a shine to the approximate four-minute total solar eclipse expected just after 3 p.m. Monday.
The Shelby Community Band will present a free concert “From the Earth to The Moon” at 2 p.m. Sunday at The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus. The performance is part of the free event “A Total Solarbration” to be presented Saturday and Sunday by the Columbus Downtown Merchants Association, the city of Columbus, and the Columbus Area Visitors Center.
The concert program will open with a little-known march by composer E.T. Paull called “A Signal From Mars,” written in 1901.
“This march sets the tone for the afternoon of music,” said Angelo Anton, the ensemble’s artistic director and conductor.
The program will include family friendly music including “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” themes (complete with Star Wars characters wandering the premises), a jazz ensemble version of Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” and Eric Whitacre’s “Goodnight Moon,” based on the children’s book of the same name featuring soprano vocalist Elizabeth Enderle.
The band will also be premiering a new work for band written for and commemorating the total solar eclipse in Indiana. “Totality,” written by Peter Felice, is a four-movement work that musically tells the story of the total solar eclipse on Earth, and how our lives are affected.
“From the waking of the world at dawn, to the darkness and shadows cast during totality, to the return to life when the sun re-emerges, this work is a powerful celebration of the eclipse,” Anton said.
Erin Hawkins, the director of marketing for the Columbus Area Visitors Center that booked the group, felt blessed that the bandleader reached out to Solarbation organizers to be included in the event.
“It was serendipitous to have a performance of such high caliber basically fall into our laps,” Hawkins said. “I’m excited to hear the band perform old favorites like the themes from ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Star Trek,’ but getting to hear an original piece composed especially for the eclipse is really exciting and special.”
