Tracy Press

The Tracy High orchestra and jazz bands will take their show on the road Tuesday to the Grand Theatre.

Young musicians at Tracy High School will pack up their instruments Tuesday to set up shop in the 560-seat EKT Theatre in the Grand Center Theatre for the Arts.

With the help of several fundraisers, the band will cover the $400 rental fee and invite the community to listen in for free on what band director Michael Costa promises to be one of the group’s best performances yet.

Costa said the students deserve to play in a quality theater, and he’ll spearhead more fundraisers if it means avoiding Tracy High’s Emma Baumgardner Theater. He said the venue’s weak sound system, poor seating and horrible acoustics make it a more-than-frustrating venue for the student concerts.

"It’s the worst place to play in Tracy," Costa said frankly. "The school theater is so inadequate, it’s worth it to pay for the Grand."

And a grand venue calls for just as grand of a performance. Costa chose Level 5 music for the students — the most challenging permitted for high school bands.

"I’ve continued to set the bar high, and they continue to reach it," Costa said.

With each tough piece, the student performers have learned to listen to one another to create a unified sound, explained Tracy High junior flutist Patrina Kim.

As freshmen, each student comes into band class used to different directors and different musicians by their side.

"At the first of the year, I had no hope," said Patrina, who earned first chair in the San Joaquin County honor band. "Now, we really mesh."

The concert’s first half will include two pieces by the school’s wind ensemble, one featuring clarinet soloist Tracy High junior Sean Widger, who also earned first chair in the county honors band, and one with Tracy High freshmen flutist Effie Zhou, who also earned first chair in the county honors band.

The concert’s second half includes six pieces by the school’s jazz band, which will feature Tracy High senior vocalist Caitlin Evler, senior trumpeter A.J. McCarty and junior tenor saxophonist Eric Zhou, who also sits first chair in the county honors band.

"It’s always good to experience new things," Effie said of Tuesday’s concert. "If you haven’t grown up listening to this kind of music, this is a good chance to open your eyes to it."

At a glance

WHAT: Tracy High School jazz band and wind ensemble free concert

WHEN: 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) Tuesday

WHERE: Grand Theatre Center for the Arts, 715 Central Ave.

INFO: Michael Costa, 830-3360

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