The Hill Country Community Band travels to ‘Faraway Places’

Traveling around the world with music, the Hill Country Community Band will transport listeners to “Faraway Places” at their concert on Saturday, May 21. The concert, free to all, will take place at 2 p.m. at the Wimberley First Baptist Church. The Band is directed by Dr. Manuel Arambula.

With musical themes from Scotland, the Isle of Man, Mexico, Spain, Belgium, Korea and then back home in the U.S.A., the band will present the rhythms and harmonies of many different musical cultures and styles.

The band is excited to feature Luellyn Dollard as piccolo soloist for “Fantaisie Brillante sur Carmen.” Based on themes from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet, this musical selec tion presents melodies from “Habanera” and Gypsy Dance,” with arpeggios that require fleet fingering and spectacular breath control by the flute and piccolo players.

Dollard earned a Masters’ degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in flute performance, playing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago before winning an audition for the Navy Band in Washington, D.C. While playing for 21 years in the Navy Band, she performed as a soloist on six national tours and was a prize winner in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist and Piccolo Artist competitions.

Luellyn says that “the best thing about being in the Navy Band was meeting a charming euphonium player named Joe Dollard.” They married in 2000 and had two beautiful sons, Johnny and Quentin, and now reside in Driftwood. Fortunately for the band, both are members of the HCCB.

The HCCB meets for rehearsals at Wimberley FBC on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. For more information about playing and volunteering with the Hill Country Community Band or making a monetary donation, visit the HCCB website at www.hillcountrycommunityband. org and follow on Facebook for current band news and future concert dates.