Urbana Middle School Concert Honors Former District 116 Superintendent
Members of the Urbana Middle School Orchestra and Concert Band honored former District 116 Superintendent Dr. Gene Amberg May 8 with a special concert at the Middle School. The students performed an arrangement of several movements of the “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint Saens under the direction of renowned composer James Curnow.
“I commissioned a piece to honor Dr. Amberg's retirement from Urbana,” says UMS band director Karen Debauche. “I had Mr. Curnow as a band director at the U of I and his children attended District 116 and he happily agreed to be a part of the commission. I knew that Jim writes quality music for bands at all levels and that our students would receive a great learning experience from him. He has ties with the Urbana School District, making the process even more meaningful and exciting!” Urbana School District #116 bands have had special guest conductors before, but Debauche says this is the first time an Urbana band has had a piece commissioned.
Curnow has 35 years of experience in teaching music at all levels, and Debauche says her students greatly benefited from working with him. “Mr. Curnow reinforced many basic playing and musical concepts as well as giving the students insight into the world of composition and arranging. Many students were involved in the commission process from the beginning. The students had a positive and engaging day working with Mr. Curnow,” Debauche explains.
Debauche says she hopes that the students who worked with Mr. Curnow become inspired by the process of creating music.