CANYON, Texas — A lineup of all-star Amarillo musicians will join with the West Texas A&M University Symphony Orchestra for a special Homecoming concert.

Flashback!, a band comprised of some of the region’s most beloved musicians, will perform songs by ’70s rock giants Electric Light Orchestra as part of the celebration of Homecoming 2022: WT Through the Decades. Joining them will be the WT symphony, performing specially written orchestral accompaniment, as well as other WT musicians.

The “Don’t Bring Me Down” concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus.

General admission tickets are $10 or free for WT students, faculty and staff with a Buff Gold Card. To purchase, visit wtamu.edu/orchestra. Buff Card holders may claim their tickets at the School of Music office in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex.

A portion of proceeds will benefit the WT Symphony Orchestra.

“My friends and I have been looking for ways we could support WT’s incredible School of Music, and when we heard this year’s Homecoming theme, it sparked this idea,” said Karr Ingham, Flashback! drummer and concert organizer. “People have loved the music of ELO for decades, and we thought we could really bring it to life in a truly special way by having the students in the WT Symphony Orchestra join us.”

Dr. Mark Bartley, WT’s director of orchestral activities, the Lilith Brainard Professor of Music and associate director of the School of Music, said the “Don’t Bring Me Down” concert is an incredible educational opportunity for students.

“Professional orchestral musicians often are hired to perform alongside a rock band, but we don’t get the chance to offer them that kind of experience at WT,” Bartley said. “When Karr and his friends approached us with this idea, we jumped at the chance. The fact that the concert will raise money to support our program is an incredible affirmation of the students’ efforts.”

The concert also will feature faculty members Dr. Susan Martin Tariq, professor of music; and Dr. John Shanks, associate professor of music; and members of the WT Chorale. The orchestra will perform other ’70s hits, as well.

Flashback! members are Ingham, Chuck Alexander, Stacy Flores, Mary Lyn Halley, Bob Hopkins, Larry Martin, Tony Naples and Michelle Sanford.

The concert is made possible in part through sponsorships by United Supermarkets, Education Credit Union, Steward Construction Services, Pak-a-Sak, FirstBank Southwest, Run Business Solutions-RunBiz Dr. Shannon Herrick and Jason Herrick, InghamEcon, LLC—Karr and Elizabeth Ingham, and Tarpley Music.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key goal of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised more than $110 million.

 

Photo: Flashback! members are, from left, Michelle Sanford, Larry Martin, Chuck Alexander, Karr Ingham, Bob Hopkins, Mary Lyn Halley and Stacy Flores.