STERLING — It’s travelogue time as on Sunday, as the Sterling College Symphonic Band presents its first concert of the year entitled “Music Around the World.” Under the direction of music professor Larry Brownlee, the concert performance will feature not only the full band but also the Jazz Band, Flute Trio and various soloists. The concert is set for 3 p.m. in Culbertson Auditorium on the Sterling College campus.

“I chose this theme because our world is made up of many different cultures and peoples. And although we may not be able to communicate with others through language, music transcends language and can speak to the heart, no matter where it originated,” Brownlee said. 

Eight countries and cultures will be represented in the concert. Songs representative of Ireland, Latin America, England, Italy, Japan, China, Middle East and the United States will be included.

“Probably the most challenging work we are performing is ‘Latin American Dances.’ It is a three-movement suite that includes: ‘Salsa’ from Puerto Rico and Cuba; ‘Bossa Nova’ from Brazil; and ‘Rumba’ from Cuba,” Brownlee said. 

Among the songs the Sterling College Jazz Band will play is the ever-popular “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” made famous by the singing Andrews Sisters in the 1940s. Sterling residents Amy Brownlee, Piper Harding and Amy Pieplow will be singing the tune. 

The following week, the Sterling College instrumental music program will make its first-ever appearance at the Kansas Music Educators Association annual conference in Wichita. The Flute Trio consisting of Grace Major, Clair Fisk, and Shara Shepard will present a concert at 8 a.m. Friday, Feb. 25 at Century II in Wichita. Six members of the college band will also appear with the Collegiate Band Concert later that day at the same location.

The concert on Sunday, Feb. 20 is free and open to the public. It will also be livestreamed free of charge on the arts page of the Sterling College website: www.sterling.edu/arts. For more information contact arts@sterling.edu.