Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings’ upcoming concert premieres a new holiday work

Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings’ next concert includes the world premiere of Scott Boerma’s “Angels.” The piece premieres at the organization’s Holiday Brass concerts on December 4 and December 10. Both concerts will be held at 3 p.m.  

The piece was created for brass and chorus. It is based on holiday songs that include the word “angels.”  

The first concert on December 4 takes place at St. Matthew’s & St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church (8850 Woodward Ave, Detroit, Mich. 48202) in Detroit. DCWS brass musicians and the Stoney Creek High School Choir perform “Angels” along with classic holiday tunes.  

The second concert on December 10 takes place at Kirk in the Hills in Bloomfield Hills (1340 W Long Lake Rd, Bloomfield Township, Mich. 48302). This time, Ann Arbor Pioneer High School Choir students join DCWS brass musicians for their rendition of “Angels” and other songs.  

Boerma is the director of bands at Western Michigan University. He previously directed the marching band at the University of Michigan. From 1989 to 2006 and from 2014 to 2018, he was the music arranger for the acclaimed Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps.  

Also a prolific arranger, Boerma receives yearly commissions to write music for many university and high school marching bands and drum and bugle corps. 

“Scott Boerma is an incredibly gifted musician, and we are very lucky to have him as our conductor for Holiday Brass. But he is equally in demand as a composer/arranger,” said Maury Okun, DCWS president. It’s the third time we’ve commissioned new work from Scott, and if history is any indication, this will be another great experience for both our musicians and our audience.” 

Holiday Brass is a yearly tradition for Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, typically occurring at two separate venues. It is part of the organization’s Signature series concerts and marks the last concert for the organization in the calendar year. 

The DCWS season then picks up in January with another Signature series concert at the Detroit Institute of Arts centered around Igor Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale.” 

Subscriptions to the DCWS season are still on sale and available at detroitchamberwinds.org/subscriptions 

Tickets to Holiday Brass are available at: detroitchamberwinds.org/performance