Pianist David Nevue will play in the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. to raise money for the Stridin’ Tigers Band and Drill Team. Nevue plans to tour the Midwest in October and the PAC will be his first stop.
Band members are selling tickets for $15, but they can also be purchased at the door the night of the performance.
After the first two tickets sold, 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards maintaining the music program at BV.
That includes paying for the marching band’s travel expenses.
Sophomore Morgan Lee said the event should be a fun night out for stu- dents and adults.
“It’s supposed to provide a sort of date night for students and members of the community,” she said.
Band Director Avian Bear said most students probably aren’t familiar with Nevue.
“He’s big in the piano world,” Bear said. “If you’re into piano, you know him.”
Nevue is a solo pianist, and according to his website, his style is somewhere between Frédéric Chopin and George Winston.
Since his first album came out in 1992, Nevue produced 11 others.
His most recent work, Revelation: Prayer and Worship, was released last year.
His music can be found in the “New Age” section of iTunes, or on his website, www. davidnevue.com.
Because Nevue promotes his music primarily through performances and record sales, he will also benefit from the concert.
“We got him through one of the band parents,” Bear said. “They knew him, and they just contacted him and said, ‘Hey, can you come help support our school?’”
Junior Alex Schoenberg met Nevue at a workshop he hosted. She said this isn’t the first time the band tried to get Nevue to perform.
“We thought about it last year, but the timing was not workable,” Schoenberg said. “We just wanted to do something good to benefit the band program this year because music is really important.”
Nevue said he does benefit concerts for colleges and high schools often be- cause he remembers how important his school’s music program was to him.
“I grew up in music and there’s too many schools who are dropping their music programs,” Nevue said. “If it weren’t for the program at my high school, I don’t think I’d be doing this for a living.”
Last year, the BV School District pro- posed cutting band and strings program from elementary and middle schools due to a budget shortfall.
Nevue said school districts should realize music programs are vital to their schools.
“It’s the exposure to music and being
a part of that community of musicians and artists, and being together with people who love music,” he said. “When you’re in choir or band it becomes a shared experience that you all value.”
Nevue said his style of performing will appeal to high school kids — it’s not the usual ‘Pianist sits up there playing and you fall asleep’ type of concert he said students typically expect.
“It’s just so much fun,” he said. “I tell stories and talk about the music. It’s very engaging. We talk to each other and I play the song, and you get the back- ground and the story and can imagine it.”