Summit Youth Orchestra concert, auditions

Summit Youth Orchestra is hosting its fall concert, “Water Music,” on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 4 p.m. at the Dillon Community Church. Please consider donating to the church’s food drive by bringing a nonperishable food item, toiletry or baby supply to the concert.

Summit Youth Orchestra will be starting its next session in January, and is accepting auditions for all instruments from grades 7-12, or by teacher recommendation for younger students. The semester will run Jan. 8 thru March 26. The cost for the semester is $175, which includes nine rehearsals and one concert performance. Rehearsals are held on Sunday evenings at Dillon Community Church. Auditions will be held at Dillon Community Church on Nov. 6 from 5:30–8 p.m.

Students who play a string, brass or wind instrument should be prepared to play two scales (one major and one minor, two octaves) and two short solo pieces, one fast and one slow, demonstrating contrasting styles. Nothing needs to be memorized. Percussionists should prepare five rudiments of their choice on snare and one solo on a mallet instrument.

Contact Michaela at summityouthorchestra@gmail.com.

Salute to Veterans concert Nov. 7

Join the Summit Concert Band and Summit Community Orchestra for a special free concert as a “Salute to Veterans” this fall. The concert will feature a wide variety of patriotic and popular music selected especially to honor military veterans and respective families for their service and sacrifice to the country. All veterans are invited to attend and be recognized. The concert will be presented at the Summit Middle School in Frisco on Monday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. As an extra musical offering, we have the pleasure of performing this concert in collaboration with, and featuring, guest soloist Sergeant First Class Mario Garcia, from the Soldiers Chorus in Washington, D.C. The concert will feature traditional songs and music from military movies and television shows such as the well-known “Ashoken Farewell” from Ken Burns’ “The Civil War” series and “Requiem for a Soldier” from the HBO series, “Band of Brothers.” It is organizers’ hope that veterans from the area and their respective families will give the Summit Concert Band and Summit Community Orchestra the opportunity to honor their service to America through music and song.

Veterans take steps toward healing in “Almost Sunrise”

In recognition of Veterans Day on Nov. 11, across Colorado, Alpine Bank is presenting free screenings of the independent film “Almost Sunrise” throughout the month. The local showing will be in Breckenridge on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. at Colorado Mountain College. The event will benefit Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC).

“Almost Sunrise” tells the inspiring story of two young men, Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, who, in an attempt to put their haunting combat experiences behind them, embark on an extraordinary journey — a 2,700-mile trek on foot across America.

While the film exposes some of the brutality of war, it doesn’t dwell there. It’s ultimately a story of hope and potential solutions. Most importantly, the film reveals the promise of holistic practices for healing. Where the stereotypes of “the broken veteran” or “homecoming hero” leave off, the film continues onward, offering an unprecedented portrait of those who return from war rich, complex, far more hopeful. “Almost Sunrise” allows us to connect with a universal human aspiration for happiness and through Tom and Anthony’s genuine search for it, be reminded of our common soaring possibilities.

The suicide statistics for our returning veterans are staggering — 22 U.S. veterans take their own lives each day — which means we lose more soldiers to suicide than to combat. “Almost Sunrise” is a timely and groundbreaking look at what could be a missing piece of the puzzle — the true nature of the psychological wounds of returning soldiers known as “moral injury,” and the undeniable potential power of meditation and nature therapy in helping veterans to reclaim their lives.

“‘Almost Sunrise’ helps to shine a light on serious issues facing our veterans,” said Allison Nadel, Alpine Bank regional marketing director, in a statement. “We felt this film tour was an opportunity to share this important message of hope and healing with our communities.”

While this film is unrated, it does deal with issues of violence, war, mental health, trauma, suicide and addiction; there are also instances of mild cursing. Parents and educators should use their discretion if considering accompanying children 14 or under.

Alpine Bank will sponsor free showings of this film throughout Colorado during the month of November. Please visit alpinebank.com/veteransday2016 for a complete schedule and show times.