Wimberley Celebrates America’s Freedom in Song

By Oda Lisa, published in The Wimberley View 6/29/17

Back by popular demand, two concerts featuring the Hill Country Community Band(HCCB) and the Wimberley Community Chorus(WCC) will be held on Tuesday, July 4 at the First Baptist Church of Wimberley. The first free concert will begin at 1:00 p.m. and will be reprised at 4:00 p.m. Director of HCCB, James Malik said, “It is, without a doubt, one of the things I look forward to the most every year. It’s an exciting concert. It’s a wonderful collaboration between two great organizations honoring our country, honoring the men and women who serve our country.”

Penny Gabrielsen will direct the singers of WCC for both shows. Malik said, “She’s fantastic, a lot of fun to work with. I love the enthusiasm of the Wimberley Community Chorus, and the great performances that they give.”

Malik described the overall mood of the well-attended, annual event as “emotional.” He said, “There’s a vibrancy and electricity when we’re performing it.” Referring to several songs, he said, “I get really excited about ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’. Everybody knows it, everybody loves it and claps along. There’s a piece that we’ve done a couple of times called ‘As All the Heavens Were a Bell’ which was commissioned in memory of all the firefighters killed in 9/11. It’s poignant and powerful and exciting. Another one that I love is the ‘Festival of Freedom’. Bob Elliot narrates all the way through. Bob has such a great voice and is such a great speaker.”

The First Baptist Church of Wimberley is located at 15951 Winters Mill Parkway. For more information about joining the Hill Country Community Band or donating time or money, contact Board President, Les Tucker, at [email protected]. Visit the HCCB website at www.hillcountrycommunityband.org for band news and future concert dates.

Correction:  Bob Elliot will not be able to attend and Chick Morgan, a member of the Chorus, will be the narrator.