Evans oboist will play with Air Force ensemble

An Evans High School senior will be playing her oboe with the seasoned professional musicians of the woodwind quintet Rampart Winds.

Senior Erin England was chosen by the Evans band director, Richard Brasco, to perform with one of nine musical performing groups of the United States Air Force Band of the Rockies at their concert at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Stevens Creek Community Church.

Erin was chosen for the performance because she is an all-state oboe player and the group wanted a double-reed player, Brasco said. She will sit and play next to the oboist in the group.

"This is actually the first time we have done this, but our concert band does this regularly, where we have between five and 10 students perform with the band to get an idea of what it is we do," said Master Sgt. Scott Richardson, musical director of the band. "I think it is neat because it involves someone from within the community. I think it is great."

The entire 72-member military band stays busy with more than 600 performances each year through the nine performing groups, Richardson said. Formerly the Air Force Academy Band, the group was moved from the academy to Peterson Air Force Base, both in Colorado Springs, Colo., where they became the Air Force Band of the Rockies in 1997.

Rampart Winds is made up of a French horn player, oboist, flutist, clarinetist and bassoonist. Four members of the quintet have been together for about three years. The French horn player recently retired, while others have swapped in and out of the group.

The group will perform a variety of music in Columbia County for one of five performances, three of them free and open to the public.

"We do traditional woodwind quintet compositions, but we also do patriotic music. We have a patriotic segment," Richardson said. "We are doing some operatic selections and actually a little bit of jazz. We will be playing a Tango piece that was arranged by our oboist. So, we do a wide range of music and some light classical music as well. We are throwing in a march, too."

The band has a wide range of duties as well.

"Our particular group, we perform for high school students and work with high school students as well as giving public performances," Richardson said. "We also help support Peterson Air Force Base by performing at military ceremonies - retirements and protocol functions."

Tickets for the concert are free and are available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the church at 600 Stevens Creek Road, Martinez, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday from The Columbia County News-Times office at 4143 Columbia Road.

For more information, call the church at 863-7002.