The North Dakota State College of Science Concert Band and Concert Choir will perform in the College’s spring concert at 7:30 p.m. on April 6 in the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on the NDSCS campus in Wahpeton. The concert is free and open to the public.

Following the concert, the performance groups will embark on a tour in New York City from April 7-12. Funding for the trip is provided by the students and by private donations. No college dollars will be used, and donations are still being accepted to help students pay for meals during the tour.

“This is a big step for NDSCS,” said Poyzer. “We strive to offer the four-year college experience in a two-year setting, and this is part of that complete education.”

On the tour, the Concert Band, under the direction of Dr. Adam Hollingsworth, will play on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Intrepid, which is now docked in the Hudson River and includes the Space Shuttle Enterprise on its deck. The band will also perform in a combined event with the Concert Choir at Thomas Paine Park. The choir, under the direction of Bryan Poyzer, will have the opportunity to sing at the Statue of Liberty and tour Ellis Island.

The April 6 concert at NDSCS will feature many of the songs the Concert Band and Concert Choir will perform while on tour. The music selections will have a patriotic theme.

“These are still the kids of the September 11th era and they need a chance to view the memorials and see first-hand how music helps in the healing process and brings people together,” said Poyzer.

Other sites on the tour will include the newly constructed Freedom Towers, Broadway shows, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Plaza, St. Paul’s and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals, and attempting to be seen on TV during filming of NBC’s Today Show on the morning of April 11.