MARSHFIELD - The 5^th Annual Grand Sousa Concert, a musical tradition at UW-Marshfield/Wood County, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in the Helen Connor Laird Theatre on the UW-Marshfield/Wood County campus, 2000 West 5th St., Marshfield.

This performance by the UW-Marshfield Wood County Symphonic Band, under the direction of guest conductor Robert Johanek, has sold out for the last several years.  All seats are reserved; tickets are $5 and are available through the Campus Box Office, which is open 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before performances.  To order tickets, call 389-6534.  VISA, MasterCard and Discover are accepted

Johanek, the community’s “March King,” began the Sousa concerts in 2002 to honor Sousa and his music.  The concerts bring classic, late 19^th- and early 20^th-Century band music to new audiences, and have provided an opportunity for area musicians to play together and to have fun doing it, Johanek said

“With its vitality, musical craftsmanship and unabashed ‘Americanism,’ Sousa’s music is as appealing today as it was over a century ago,” he said. “The musicians never seem to tire of it. There’s always something freshly inventive and interesting about Sousa’s music – a little something for everybody – performers and listeners alike.  We try to play a representative sampling of Sousa’s musical output, not just the marches, but also the many arrangements, suites and humoresques that are not as well known by today’s audiences.

“We also include band music and arrangements from contemporaries of Sousa, just as he did on his concert programs.  These pieces present a charming slice of life and feeling from an America of a bygone era.”

Bob Biederwolf, former UW-Marshfield/Wood County music professor, has played trumpet with the symphonic band since his retirement in 1993.

“John Philip Sousa has his place in the history of American music,” Biederwolf said. “He played a major part in the country’s musical culture. Obviously, his music is of interest to the people in this area.  There’s certainly something special about playing to a full house year after year.”

Jane Hardginski has played clarinet in all the Sousa concerts.  The performance is one she looks forward to.

“I always did like Sousa music,” she said. “But once I started playing it, I really developed much more of a connection.  When (the symphonic band) is all together playing Sousa, we really form a kind of bond between the band and the audience.”

Since 2003, guest soloists have appeared on the programs, performing on cornet, trombone and saxophone.  This year’s guest artist is Dr. Jerry A. Young, tuba, from UW-Eau Claire.

“We try to make the concert a little better and more entertaining every year,” Johanek said. “We include live ragtime music in the lobby of the theater, historical displays and plenty of ‘red, white and blue’ bunting and decorations.  Mr. Sousa always strove to give his audiences an exciting and enjoyable experience, and that was the key to his success, just plain having fun.”

The final “Music at the Wood” performance is the UW-Marshfield/Wood County Symphony’s Annual Mother’s Day Concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, in the Helen Connor Laird Theatre.  The guest artist is Anthony Ross, principal cello with the Minnesota Orchestra. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Box Office.