After a year’s hiatus because of the pandemic, the young musicians of Stillwater Music will again take to the stage for their annual Winter Wonder Bands gala.
Because the school’s usual venue – the Henry Strater Theatre – closed in 2020, the showcase will be held this year at Adventure Christian Church on east 11th Street.
Stillwater Music was founded in 2005 and offers both private lessons and band classes for adults and children. The school moved to the old Katzin Music location in 2018, and according to its website, its students have played at many venues and festivals including performances at the Fort Lewis College Jazz Festival, Reno Jazz Festival and the Telluride Jazz Festival.
This year’s gala will include 50 students ages 7 to 17 in nine different bands, playing a whole host of musical genres, including pop, rock, funk, blues, jazz, Latin and more. And because of the weird last couple of years, the kids are excited to get back on stage, said Stillwater Executive Director Jeroen van Tyn.
“They’re doing what Stillwater does: They’re playing pop tunes, they’re playing blues and they’re playing funk, switching instruments between songs, they’re doing the Stillwater thing, and they’re pretty stoked – they’re sounding great,” he said. “It’s so great to be sitting in my office and be able to walk down the hall and just see the kids rehearsing and getting ready and sounding awesome.”
If you go
What: Stillwater Music’s annual “Winter Wonder Bands” gala youth music performance.
When: Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Adventure Church, 255 E. 11th St.
Tickets: General admission is $5 at the door; kids 5 and younger are free.
More information: Visit https://stillwatermusic.org.
Van Tyn said as of September, Stillwater Music has all students and faculty members back in person and is focusing on getting enrollment numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.
For Saturday’s gala, van Tyn said the event will be scaled back just a little because of the ongoing pandemic. For example, the gala usually has a full lunch available, but this year, it will offer only refreshments to keep the amount of mingling and masklessness limited. There will also be the annual silent auction, too, he said, but this year it’s a little different: The auction is currently underway on Stillwater’s website. Gala audience members will still have a chance to check out what’s up for bid on Saturday because all the auction items are going to be on tables with QR codes so people can bid on them, van Tyn said.
Registration for classes and private lessons at Stillwater is now open; visit www.stillwatermusic.org for more information and to sign up.
katie@durangoherald.com
