Show to feature music from 'Wicked,' 'Wizard of Oz'

SANDUSKY — The North Coast Concert Band returns with a free concert scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday at the Sandusky High School auditorium, 2130 Hayes Ave. (Ohio 4). This concert is sponsored by the Sandusky Concert Association and will feature music from "Wicked," the "Wizard of Oz" and the musical "Annie," which is getting ready to celebrate 50 years since it hit Broadway. Also featured will be a concert band work which was written to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Sandusky High School Band. The work is entitled "San-Too-Chee," which is a Wyandot/Iroquois word for the Sandusky Bay, and combines Wyandot folk music and traditional Iroquois songs for a stirring and moving tribute to the Sandusky High Band Program. The piece is by composer William Owens, a retired band director in Texas who has written more than 300 pieces. In addition, a couple of John Philip Sousa marches will be performed along with two exciting compositions, "The Hounds of Spring" and "To Horizons Unseen," which will show off the technique and musical artistry of the band members. John Kustec, the band's director, says the show should have something for everyone to enjoy. The band has 115 members, ranging in age from 21 to 85. Many are from the immediate Sandusky area, although musicians are drawn from the region. "We have people from Toledo. We have people from Amherst," Kustec said. One lady lives in Delaware but stays in a local apartment when she drives up for rehearsals, Kustec said. "It's a great group of people, it really is," he said.