EDDYVILLE — In 2016, the Ottumwa Chapter board of the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra pitched a new program that would evolve into the annual Ruth P. Seim Memorial Concert for a Cause, in which area school ensembles are invited to perform during intermission of the orchestra’s spring Masterworks concert in Ottumwa. 

This year’s invited guest is the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Concert Band, directed by Dezirae Fairchild of Oskaloosa. The band will perform at the 2 p.m. April 27 concert in Ottumwa’s Bridge View Center. The band’s varied program, lasting about 10 minutes, will feature “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked,” “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” and the jazz standard, “In the Mood.” 

The Ottumwa Chapter board chooses each year’s spotlight ensemble. Fairchild, director of this year’s chosen band, also plays oboe with the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra and serves on the Ottumwa Chapter board. 

“The band is very deserving,” she noted. “Concert band is the foundation for the success of the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont fine arts department. We have a rich history of success in our program, including our elementary and junior high bands. Our marching band and jazz band programs are well-known in this part of the state, in part because we have a supportive community, administration, and music booster program. Our students are in our band programs because they choose to be, and what they accomplish is pretty remarkable. What’s reassuring is to know that support for our program goes beyond our school district with organizations like the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra and the Ruth P. Seim Memorial Concert for a Cause – that’s the kind of support that keeps the arts alive and healthy across generations.”

Admission is $20 for adults and free for students, to help remove barriers for young people to attend. Fairchild adds, “This experience really is an excellent opportunity. This will be the first time hearing a live symphony orchestra for many of our students. Additionally, the band will receive 75% of all ticket sales at the concert, and 100% of all donations given to our program, so bring your friends and family, and congratulate our students on a job well done!”