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Central College will host a concert Sunday that will also dual as a fundraiser to benefit an Iowa high school music department. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble and A Cappella Choir will perform together in a free concert that will include an opportunity for the audience to make a contribution to benefit the Aplington-Parkersburg School music department, which is still replacing instruments and materials that were lost in the May 2008 tornado. Michelle Dickinson, a senior Music Education Major at Central says she’s looking forward to some of the pieces that will be performed.

“We’ve been working on some Whitaker compositions,” said Dickinson, “and they’re really unique in that they use a lot of interesting chordal combinations, and so that’s a unique portion of the concert.”

Dickinson will perform in both musical groups. The concert will also feature 2008 Central College graduate Thom Mahler, who now teaches music at Aplington-Parkersburg and will conduct the piece “Dusk” by Steven Bryant during the performance. Mahler will have two of his students performing with Central’s Symphonic Wind Ensamble, and Dickinson says she thinks it will help the audience and both musical ensembles to better connect with Mahler’s school.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity for us to connect with his community, and for them to not only have a guest conductor, but to bring a couple of students in to get that experience with a college band is a really neat experience,” added Dickinson.

Dickinson and her instructor, Dr. Mitchell Lutch helped organize the outreach project, which will sponsor an opportunity during the concert for the audience to make a contribution to the cause. The public is invited to attend the free concert, which will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday in Douwstra Auditorium at Central College.