The Sterling College Symphonic Band will offer a moving musical tribute to the victims of war and conflict with its fall concert, In Memoriam: For the Lost, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, in Culbertson Auditorium on the Sterling College campus.

Under the direction of Larry Brownlee, the performance will serve as both a remembrance and a plea for peace—honoring the millions whose lives were taken by war while challenging audiences to imagine a world where conflicts are resolved without violence.

“The concert is a cry for peace and a time of remembrance for all who have died due to wars and armed conflict,” said Brownlee.

At the heart of the program is Symphony No. 1: In Memoriam Dresden – 1945, a searing musical depiction of the firebombing of Dresden, Germany, near the end of World War II. “The Allies fire-bombed the city over several days, killing over 100,000 people,” Brownlee explained. “The song portrays the anguish of that moment.”

Preparing this emotionally charged program has tested the band’s musicianship and sensitivity. “The biggest challenge, other than the difficulty of the music, is to portray the selections in a way that honors the lost. It is an emotionally draining concert to perform,” Brownlee said.

Despite the difficulty, Brownlee believes the students have grown profoundly through the process. “The students have grown not only in their capabilities as musicians but also in their understanding of what the true results of war entail,” he said. “We need to find a better way to settle our differences. Countries and people groups are too quick to use violence as a solution.”

The Sterling High School’s Sterling Singers, under the direction of Clark Comley, will join the concert to perform “Ani Ma’amin,” a Hebrew folk song sung in some concentration camps during the Holocaust. Brian Foster, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy (retired), will also present the poignant poem “I Have a Rendezvous with Death,” accompanied by the band’s performance of “A Soldier’s Poem from World War I.”

The community is invited to this reflective and powerful afternoon of music and remembrance. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend. The concert performance will also be available through livestream on the Sterling College Music Facebook page.