Wimberley to hold hometown patriotic concert

The Wimberley Community Chorus and the Hill Country Community Band will present the twelfth Annual Hometown Patriotic Concert on July 4 at 3 p.m. at the Wimberley First Baptist Church.

The program features patriotic songs and other works that allow the band and the chorus to shine individually as well as together.

“America the Beautiful,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “God Bless America,” and “Stars and Stripes Forever” will be performed by all 95 musicians of the chorus and band.

“Hymn to the Fallen” by John Williams, from the film score of “Saving Private Ryan,” will be accompanied by a video presentation. A color guard will present flags during “Salute to the Armed Forces.”

The Band will individually perform several works including “American Salute” and “Le Carnaval de Venice,” which features a euphonium solo by Joe Dollard.

Among other selections, the chorus will perform the traditional Shaker tune “Simple Gifts,” “Song for the Unsung Hero,” by Joseph Martin and a medley of American show tunes.

Additional featured ensembles and soloists include Doug Gillory on clarinet, Fred Ratliff vocals, Doug Martin, trumpet, and the vocal trio of Laura Russell, Christopher Rodriguez and Martha Dodds.

The Wimberley Community Chorus will be directed by Ed Snouffer, with his wife, Andrea, accompanying on piano. Before retiring, Mr. Snouffer was the head director of Westlake High School Choirs. Under his direction, the program at Westlake grew to include eight choirs involving several hundred students. His choirs were consistent University Interscholastic League Sweepstakes winners and have been honored at festivals around the country.

Andrea Snouffer, Head Choir Director at West Ridge Middle School in the Eanes Independent School District, leads six award-winning choirs.

The Hill Country Community Band is directed by Dr. Manuel Arambula. A native of South Texas, Arambula holds multiple university degrees, has taught both band and orchestra and has been involved with community musical organizations in the South Texas and Lubbock areas. The Wimberley First Baptist Church is located at 15951 Winters Mill Parkway. For additional information about these organizations, visit wimberleycommunitychorus. org and hillcountrycommunityband. org.