For those in Kingwood and Humble who like big band swing music from the 1940s, there’s an event coming up in conjunction with the romantic Valentine season.
On Feb. 10, the Lone Star College-Kingwood Big Band will present a Valentine dance from 7:30 until 11:30 p.m. at the Nathaniel Center on Russell Palmer Road.
The evening will please the palate as well as the ear. In between dances, guests can sample an ample buffet of hors d’ oeuvres and delicious desserts with catering provided by Spectrum Catering. A cash bar will also be available.
All proceeds from the Feb. 10 evening of music and food will benefit the Fine Arts Scholarship Fund at Lone Star College-Kingwood and the Big Band’s upcoming trip to the Montreux Jazz Festival in July of 2007.
The Kingwood Big Band is honored to have been selected to perform at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in July of 2007. Attended by over 250,000 jazz fans in 2006, Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival is one of the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world, and the Kingwood Big Band is pleased to be able to represent Kingwood and Houston through this global venue. In honor of this recognition, Houston Mayor Bill White and members of the Houston City Council declared October 27th, 2006 as “Kingwood Big Band Day.” While in Europe, the band will also present concerts in Rome and Assisi, Italy.
The Kingwood Big Band is a group of amateur musicians dedicated to the performance and promotion of the very finest in classic big band jazz. Located in Kingwood in northeastern Houston, Texas, the band was first organized in September of 2004 under the sponsorship of Lone Star College-Kingwood of the Lone Star College System. The group is directed by its founder, Lone Star College-Kingwood’s director of bands, James Stubbs. The Kingwood Big Band boasts an extensive repertoire of new and historic arrangements of music made famous by the greatest musicians and composers of the golden age of American popular music. Songs by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen and other contributors to the “Great American Songbook” are well represented, and songs made popular by such greats as Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Glenn Miller are common fare for the Kingwood Big Band.
The Kingwood Big Band includes eighteen instrumentalists performing on saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, piano, bass, and drums. A female vocalist (who is a regular member of the band) and guest performers are often featured as well. Members of the band come from virtually all walks of life, and include doctors, lawyers, teachers, law enforcement, and business men and women in their ranks.
The music programs join classes in drama, drawing, art history, photography and ceramics to make up the Fine Arts Department and offer students a spectrum of course to foster an appreciation of culture and creativity. Through the help of programs like the Valentine dance, the Fine Arts Department offers scholarships to students wanting to participate in music and arts courses.
General seating tickets are $50 per person. Reserved tables of eight (8) are available at the following sponsorship levels: Sweethearts $1,000; Cupid $2,500; Hearts of Gold $5,000; and Saint Valentine $10,000. As a Valentine’s treat for that certain someone, song dedications will also be available for a minimum $10 donation. Black-tie optional.
For more information or to make reservations call 281-312-1532.
Lone Star College-Kingwood is a member of the Lone Star College System, which is also comprised of Lone Star College-North Harris, Lone Star College–Tomball, Lone Star College–Montgomery, Lone Star College–CyFair, six satellite centers and The University Center. For more information about Lone Star College-Kingwood, call 281-312-1600 or visit our Web site at kingwood.lonestar.edu.