Keene State College Concert Band

Music Lovers! Mark your calendars for April 23rd!

The Keene State College Concert Band presents the final concert in this year’s Music of Social Justice Series, “Our Response.” This concert explores themes of immigrants, immigration, identity, grief, and devotion. We are proud to share the stage with the Keene High School Band for this performance.

The Keene State College Concert Band is celebrating nearly 50 years as a campus-community group, composed of musicians from every walk of life, ages 18 to 88. With a rich history of entertaining and educating, the ensemble is proud to promote the creation and performance of new music, particularly by musicians from under-represented populations. This concert will also feature the Keene High School Band, under the direction of KSC alumnus Mr. Joseph Conti (’18).

As a country of immigrants, the fabric of our nation should be reflected in our music. In this performance, we explore music by immigrants and children of immigrants, music about immigrants and immigration, and we reaffirm the echoing call to “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. We also remember the families and lives torn asunder by gun violence, and present our Bernstein-inspired reply, “to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

With Special Guests
The Keene High School Band, Mr. Joseph Conti (’18), Director
& The KSC Brass Quintet

Thursday, April 23rd, 2026
7:00pm – Concert
Main Theater, Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College

Tickets are FREE for KSC students at the Box Office;
$15 general public - $10 seniors and youth
Contact the Redfern Box Office at (603) 358-2168 or visit the Redfern website to purchase tickets.

Concert Program:
The Liberty Bell, John Philip Sousa
The New Colossus, Oliver Caplan
Cover the Walls, Ursula Kwong-Brown
An American Elegy, Frank Ticheli
Suite from MASS, Leonard Bernstein

And as a reminder, the KSC Concert Band comprises a wide array of majors from our campus. We’ve got architecture majors, math majors, English majors, education majors, chemists, astronomers, faculty, and staff – you name it! If you would like to perform with the KSC Concert Band, please reach out to Dr. John Hart at [email protected]. Anyone of sufficient ability is welcome!

See you there!

TWO Amazing Performances at Keene State College!

Reminder: we have TWO amazing performance this coming week over in the Keene State College Music Department featuring Guest Artists and the Keene State College Concert Band. Please make plans to attend one or both (preferably both) of these performances!

Wednesday, February 25th, 2026
7:00pm – Recital
Alumni Recital Hall, Redfern Arts Center

Internationally recognized performing artists Bente Illevold, euphonium, and Dr. Jasmine Pigott, tuba, present an evening recital of low brass music. Bente Illevold presents "A Musical Portrait," and Jasmine Pigott performs her program "Becoming."

The concert will feature music inspired by the lived experiences and fascinating life paths of the performers. Bente will introduce the audience to the beauty of the euphonium, reimagining what the instrument can be. Jasmine’s music is deeply personal and speaks to the transformative power that comes from within. Just as important, both artists are actively paving the way and creating space for women’s voices in a historically male-dominated field.

Thursday, February 26th, 2026
7:00pm – Concert
Main Theater, Redfern Arts Center

The Keene State College Concert Band invites you to join us at the first concert in this year’s Music of Social Justice Series, “Roots.” This concert is an exploration of the music of the African Diaspora in the Americas and features special guest artists Bente Illevold (euphonium) and Jasmine "Jazzie" Pigott (tuba).

This concert, the first of two socially minded programs for the KSC Concert Band this semester, explores the music of the African Diaspora. The Concert Band has spent this semester immersing ourselves in the ongoing work of understanding and learning from 400 years of Black migration, Black history, and Black excellence to improve the present and future for all people. As part of that mission, we're delighted to give the World Premiere of Jasmine Pigott’s "Roots Torn, Routes Chosen: A Story of Black Migration."

Concert Program:
Adoration - Florence Price
Concerto for Bass Tuba - Ralph Vaughan Williams
Concerto for Euphonium and Concert Band - Bente Illevold
Spiritual Suite - Margaret Bonds
Roots Torn, Routes Chosen - Jasmine Pigott

Tickets are FREE for KSC students at the Box Office
$15 general public - $10 seniors and youth
Contact the Redfern Box Office at (603) 358-2168 or visit the Redfern website to purchase tickets.

The first of TWO Amazing Performances at Keene State College this week:

Wednesday, February 25th, 2026
7:00pm – Recital
Alumni Recital Hall, Redfern Arts Center

Internationally recognized performing artists Bente Illevold, euphonium, and Dr. Jasmine Pigott, tuba, present an evening recital of low brass music. Bente Illevold presents "A Musical Portrait," and Jasmine Pigott performs her program "Becoming."

The concert will feature music inspired by the lived experiences and fascinating life paths of the performers. Bente will introduce the audience to the beauty of the euphonium, reimagining what the instrument can be. Jasmine’s music is deeply personal and speaks to the transformative power that comes from within. Just as important, both artists are actively paving the way and creating space for women’s voices in a male-dominated field.

Tickets are FREE for KSC students at the Box Office
$15 general public - $10 seniors and youth
Contact the Redfern Box Office at (603) 358-2168 or visit the Redfern website to purchase tickets.

The second of TWO Amazing Performances at Keene State College this week:

Thursday, February 26th, 2026
7:00pm – Concert
Main Theater, Redfern Arts Center

The Keene State College Concert Band invites you to join us at the first concert in this year’s Music of Social Justice Series, “Roots.” This concert is an exploration of the music of the African Diaspora in the Americas and features special guest artists Bente Illevold (euphonium) and Jasmine "Jazzie" Pigott (tuba).

This concert, the first of two socially minded programs for the KSC Concert Band this semester, explores the music of the African Diaspora. The Concert Band has spent this semester immersing ourselves in the ongoing work of understanding and learning from 400 years of Black migration, Black history, and Black excellence to improve the present and future for all people. As part of that mission, we're delighted to give the World Premiere of Jasmine Pigott’s "Roots Torn, Routes Chosen: A Story of Black Migration."

Concert Program:
Adoration - Florence Price
Concerto for Bass Tuba - Ralph Vaughan Williams
Concerto for Euphonium and Concert Band - Bente Illevold
Spiritual Suite - Margaret Bonds
Roots Torn, Routes Chosen - Jasmine Pigott

Tickets are FREE for KSC students at the Box Office
$15 general public - $10 seniors and youth
Contact the Redfern Box Office at (603) 358-2168 or visit the Redfern website to purchase tickets.

Come be a part of the amazing Concert Band at Keene State College. Conservatory-level performances all year long!

It's time to schedule your MUSIC AUDITION!

Audition dates are still available, and the scholarships are just begging to be awarded. At Keene State, our talent-based scholarship are available to any instrument or voice part, not just a select few. A conservatory-level experience at a fraction of the price!

Upcoming dates include: 1/30/26, 2/13/26, 3/6/26, and 3/27/26 (online and in-person auditions are available)

Go here for more information: https://dept.keene.edu/music/audition-information/

NH Band Directors Association New Hampshire Music Educators' Association New Hampshire ACDA ACDA East National Association for Music Education

The Keene State College Concert Band is delighted to invite you to our first performance of the 2025–2026 academic year. Titled MONUMENTS, this concert explores the literal and figurative meanings of the word through the music of several monumental composers from the wind band world. Repertoire on this performance includes Johann Sebastian Bach’s Fugue à la Gigue orchestrated by Gustav Holst, two world-renowned composers; the stupendously important Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger, performed more than any other piece in the 20th century; Give Us This Day by David Maslanka, whose compositions are regarded as some of the best works for wind ensemble, ever; Keepers of the House by Conni Ellisor, a musical lesson about what humanity can learn about community through the interconnectedness of trees; and the Star Wars Main Theme by the incomparable, timeless John Williams. We are also honored to present the New Hampshire premiere of In This Breath by Shuying Li, a musical monument to one of the most loved conductors in the world of college wind ensembles, Glen Adsit. Please join us for an evening of music of monumental proportions.

Thursday, October 30th, 2025
7:00pm – Concert
Main Theater, Redfern Arts Center
Tickets are FREE for KSC students at the Box Office;
$15 general public - $10 seniors and youth
Contact the Redfern Box Office at (603) 358-2168 or visit the Redfern website to purchase tickets.

Concert Program:
Star Wars: Main Title - John Williams
Bach's Fugue à La Gigue - J.S. Bach, arr. Gustav Holst
Keepers of the House - Conni Ellisor
In This Breath - Shuying Li
Lincolnshire Posy - Percy Aldridge Grainger
Give Us This Day - David Maslanka

And as a reminder, the KSC Concert Band comprises a wide array of majors from our campus. We’ve got architecture majors, math majors, English majors, education majors, chemists, astronomers, faculty, and staff – you name it! If you would like to perform with the KSC Concert Band, please reach out to Dr. John Hart at [email protected]. Anyone of sufficient ability is welcome!
See you there!

We are so excited to announce that Brian Balmages - Composer / Conductor is our featured clinician for NEBDI 2026!! NEBDI will be held in cooperation with the Keene State College Music Department from July 13-15, 2026 on the beautiful campus of Keene State College. Keep your eyes peeled for registration, housing, and graduate credit information. You won't want to miss this!
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Brian Balmages is known worldwide as a composer and conductor who equally spans the worlds of orchestral, band, and chamber music. His music has been performed by groups ranging from professional symphony orchestras to elementary schools in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Sydney Opera House, Toronto Centre for the Arts, and many more. He is a recipient of the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association, won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest with his work Love and Light, and was awarded the inaugural James Madison University Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Visual and Performing Arts. In the same year, he was commissioned by his other alma mater, the University of Miami, to compose music for the inauguration of the institution’s 6th president, Dr. Julio Frenk. His music was also performed as part of the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service, which was attended by both President Obama and Vice President Biden.

As a conductor, Mr. Balmages enjoys regular engagements with all-state and regional ensembles as well as university and professional groups throughout the world. Notable guest conducting appearances have included the Midwest Clinic, Western International Band Clinic, Maryborough Music Conference (Australia), College Band Directors Conference, American School Band Directors Association National Conference, numerous state ASTA conferences, Teatro dell’Aquila (Italy), and others. He is an elected member of the American Bandmasters Association and has taught instrumental conducting at Towson University where he also served as Assistant Director of Bands and Orchestras. Currently, he is Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic.

Some monumental music coming out of the Keene State College Concert Band rehearsal room this semester! Save the date - "MONUMENTS," October 30th at the Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College.

We're excited to welcome Dr. Alex Kollias to the applied lesson faculty!

The KSC Concert Band supports band directors everywhere, and we don't want you to miss out on some incredibly affordable graduate credit. The deadline for grad credit and on-campus housing is June 28th, so act fast!