Tartanband to perform concert on March 7

Maryville College’s newest student instrumental ensemble, Tartanband, will hold a concert titled “Unraveling” in the Clayton Center for the Arts on March 7 at 7 p.m.

The concert is free and open to anyone. A reception will take place in the lobby following the concert, and all attendees are invited.

Dr. Eric Simpson, director of Tartanband and Maryville College Community Concert Band (MC3Band) at Maryville College, said that there are several reasons why the concert is titled “Unraveling.”

“A tartan as a fabric has very discernible sections (like a small wind ensemble) that can be appreciated both on their own and as an aggregate,” Simpson said. “In this concert, listeners will be able to perceive both the individual strands of cloth (the instruments, unraveled) and the fabric as a whole (the sound of the entire ensemble playing together).”

Simpson went on to explain that “Unraveling” is also the title of the final composition of the concert.

The concert program will feature several songs including MC’s Alma Mater and “Appalachian Heart” by Shaun Salem, a member of the MC3 Band.

Tartanband was formed by Simpson in 2016 and consists of students from different majors and academic divisions. The ensemble members perform not only as a whole, but also separately in chamber groups and small wind/percussion ensembles. Many members are part of both Tartabnand and MC3Band.

“The Tartanband was formed to address needs on the Maryville College campus, both philosophically and within our curriculum,” Simpson said. “From a curricular perspective, Maryville College has been a providing quality large ensemble experience to its students for many years via the MC3Band. The Tartanband opens up another avenue for students to learn and explore wonderful music: through the small chamber ensemble, or wind ensemble.”

According to Simpson, this concert will be the first concert by an all-student wind band at Maryville College in at least 25 years.