Band set to perform

The Cascade Horizon Band of Bend will perform in concert Sunday, January 31 at 2 p.m. in the Sisters High School Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Cascade Horizon Band is a full concert band, made up of musicians who play brass, woodwind and percussion instruments. Its members are from Bend as well as Redmond, Prineville, La Pine, Camp Sherman, and Sunriver. Five are from the Sisters area: Roscoe Creed, clarinet; Carmen Hull, clarinet; Don Oliver (an original band member), baritone; Bruce Shaull, trumpet; Pat Woollard, alto sax; and Tom Worcester, French horn.

The band is an unusual organization. Its members must be 50 years old or older and may be at any stage of development, from beginners to professionals. Until they joined the band, many had not played since high school or college and are pleased to have a venue in which to play.

Players under 50 may be invited to join if they play specialty instruments needed for a particular purpose. The band is currently looking for a bassoon player. Formed in 2003 with 12 members, the band currently has 74 members on its roster. While its first numbers were "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Happy Birthday," its current repertoire ranges from Sousa marches to selections by George Gershwin, Leroy Anderson and Louie Armstrong, plus medleys of Broadway show tunes, some of which will be featured in the Sisters concert.

The band is directed by Sue Steiger, who also is one of the original members.

The Horizon Band concept was originated in 1991 by Dr. Roy Ernst, when he was active in the prestigious Eastman School of Music. The concept has resulted in an international organization consisting of 160 bands in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The Bend group is the 74th band under the Horizon banner.

The band has recently returned from a performance at the Oregon Music Educators Association Convention in Eugene, the first senior band so honored with an invitation. The band averages a dozen concerts a year at locations in the Bend area, including a summer as well as a winter concert in Sisters.

It plays to a steadily increasing attendance, with about 1,500 at its July 4 presentation and an overflow crowd at its Christmas concert at Mountain View High School in Bend. Like all of the band's concerts, the Sisters concert is free, but donations will be appreciated to help defray the cost of the OMEA trip to Eugene, which was borne entirely by the band. Cascade Horizon Band is a non-profit organization; donations are tax-deductible.