Name: Simply the Best
Start: 2025-03-22T19:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-03-22T21:00:00-04:00
Location: Church at Ponce & Highland

Atlanta Freedom Bands’ Concert Band continues its 20th anniversary season with a carefully curated collection of classics for wind band. The concert program features some of the best pieces from classic wind band composers such as Gustav Holst and Percy Grainger along with the best of today’s voices like John Mackey and Georgia native Katahj Copely. The list even includes music from our favorite nonagenarian composer John Williams.
AFB’s Artistic Directors, Concert Band Team, and even its members, selected an eclectic list of works representing "simply the best" in wind band music across a variety of genres, Putting this program together and working on these challenging pieces has been a lot of fun for us. We know you will feel our excitement in bringing this music to life.
AFB has invited some of its “best friends” to host the program. Representatives from the organizations that make up the Atlanta Queer Arts Alliance (AQuAA) will join the show to introduce the works and place them in context.
AFB’s Student Composer Residency Program will continue its ninth year as the Concert Band presents “The Dance and the Feast” by Tyson Washington. Mr. Washington is studies music composition at the University of West Georgia. His piece takes listeners on a trip back in time to a medieval banquet hall as the royalty and court enjoy the pleasures of dance after a sumptuous meal.
Tickets are $20 general admission, $15 seniors, $10 students.
The program features:
"Ayo" by Katahj Copley
"Second Suite in F" by Gustav Holst, ed. Fennell
"An Irish Ayre for Winds" by Warren Barker
"Soundtrax II" by Connor Sullivan
March from "1941" by John Williams, arr. Lavender
"Children’s March: Over the Hills and Far Away" by Percy Grainger, arr. Erickson
"Foundry" by John Mackey
"The Dance and the Feast" by Tyson Washington
"ABBA on Broadway", arr. Michael Brown
"Proud Mary" by JC Fogerty, arr. Robert W Smith
PARKING is available in a pay deck behind the church, street-side along Blueridge, Linwood, and Seminole Avenues, and in a pay lot north of the church at Highland Ave and Briarcliff Place.
An ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE is available with a flat path from the parking deck behind the church to the rear door into the concert area and to the restrooms. The standard complement of symphonic percussion will be in use. The concert will not have any special lighting effects. For accessibility questions, please send us a message.
"Simply the Best" is supported in part by the Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs. Funding for this program is also provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of Fulton County Arts & Culture.