Sequim City Band to host ‘Composers Across Cultures’
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 11, 2026
SEQUIM — The Sequim City Band will present “Origins: Composers Across Cultures” at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The free concert will be in the Performing Arts Center at Port Angeles High School, 304 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles.
The concert, which will conclude the band’s winter music schedule, will be directed by Tyler Benedict.
The program will feature a range of styles that trace how composers draw on the sounds of their homelands to transform folk traditions, ceremonial music, dance rhythms and storytelling into works for wind band.
The program includes:
• “Mil Estrellas” or “Concert March” by Jorge Vargas which echoes the pageantry and joy of Latin street processions.
• “España Cañí,” a pasodoble by Pascual Marquina Narro and arranged by Robert Longfield which evokes Spain’s bullfighting arenas through bold melodies and galloping rhythms.
• “Colonial March” by Percy Aldridge Grainger which draws on English and Australian influences.
• “Procession of the Nobles” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and arranged by Jay Bocook which embodies Russian imperial pageantry.
• “Rikudim” by Belgian composer Jan Van der Roost which channels the vitality of traditional Israeli dances.
• “Caribana Afterparty” by Omar Thomas which exudes the carnival energy of the Caribbean.
• “Star Ship” by Japanese composer Yukiko Nishimura which reflects Japan’s blend of tradition and forward-looking imagination.
• “Second Suite in F” by Gustav Holst which balances pastoral charm with sophisticated composition.
The band also will perform the three-movement suite, “Faia,” by local composer Signe Crawford.
The suite portrays the arc of life from the elemental forces of earth’s formation to the emergence of humanity and the search for harmony.
“I wanted the audience to feel the story of life itself — from creation, through chaos, to harmony,” Crawford said. “It’s a journey full of energy, humor and awe, and it ends with a moment of quiet wonder.”
The Port Angeles High School band boosters will host a bake sale during the concert to raise funds for the Port Angeles High School symphonic band’s upcoming trip to Anaheim, Calif.
The Sequim City Band will begin its 2026 Concerts at the James on May 3 with “Let’s Go Squirming!!”
The concert series will be at the James Center for the Performing Arts, 506 N. Blake Ave., Sequim.
Other performances in the series include:
• “Let’s Go Soaring!!” on June 7.
• “Sounds of America — 250th Celebration” on July 4.
• “Harmonic Gatherings” on Aug. 16.
• “Spotlight on Broadway and Hollywood” on Sept. 13.
The band also will perform during the Olympic Peninsula Brass and Winds Festival on July 24 at the 7 Cedars Hotel and Casino.
For more information, visit www.sequimcityband.org.
