Lowcountry Wind Symphony to close season with free concerts

The Lowcountry Wind Symphony will close its 2025-26 season this month with a program that spans classical masterworks and traditional melodies, highlighting the breadth of concert band music.

The ensemble’s final concert, titled “The Alpha and The Omega,” is scheduled for April 24 at Bluffton High School and April 26 at Battery Creek High School in Beaufort. Both performances are free and open to the public, with donations accepted to support the nonprofit group.

Directed by Donald F. Jemella, the roughly 70-member ensemble is composed of amateur and professional musicians from across the Beaufort area. The group includes brass, woodwind and percussion players and performs a mix of original band compositions and transcriptions of orchestral works.

The concert’s title reflects the structure of the program, which begins with Gustav Holst’s “First Suite in E-flat for Military Band” and concludes with the “Largo” from Antonín Dvorák’s “New World Symphony,” known for its “Goin’ Home” theme.

Between those selections, the program includes a range of works that illustrate the ensemble’s musical scope. Among them are Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony,” Percy Grainger’s “Irish Tune from County Derry,” based on a traditional melody, and “Americans We,” a march by bandleader Henry Fillmore.

The Lowcountry Wind Symphony operates under the motto “Exploring What’s Musically Possible,” reflecting its approach to programming across genres and styles. Performances often blend classical repertoire with folk influences and popular concert band standards.

Concert band music, sometimes referred to as wind ensemble or symphonic band repertoire, differs from orchestral music by focusing on wind and percussion instruments rather than strings. Works such as Holst’s suite are considered foundational pieces in the band literature, while transcriptions like Schubert’s symphony allow audiences to hear familiar works in a different setting.

The upcoming performances will take place at 7 p.m. April 24 at Bluffton High School and 4 p.m. April 26 at Battery Creek High School.

Organizers say the concerts are intended to be accessible to the community, offering an opportunity for residents to experience live music without the barrier of ticket costs.

As the season concludes, the program’s title underscores both a beginning and an end, bringing together a range of musical traditions in a single performance.