The academic year is wrapping up, and so are the performances of the Symphonic and Symphonic Wind Ensemble (SWE) bands.

Coming to the Eisenhower stage at 7 and 8:30 tonight, respectively, the two separate bands will present their last concerts of the year.

These particular concerts will feature several chosen students and faculty members. Matthew Stombaugh and Erik Jester, two student conductors, will each be working with the Symphonic band during the concert. Then, during the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, soloists David Stambler, a faculty member who plays the saxophone, and horn player Amanda Collins (senior-music) will perform.

Collins won the opportunity for a solo in the SWE concert through the Symphonic Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition. For the competition, Collins had to play six solos before a board of music faculty.

"It was a really great honor to be chosen," Collins said.

The piece that features Collins, called "En Foret," was originally only written for a horn with a piano accompanist. However, conductor Dennis Glocke took it upon himself to transcribe the piece so that the band could play along with her.

"I took the piano part and scored it for a band," Glocke said. "Essentially, there wasn't a band version, so I made my own. I'm pleased with the results."

Collins said the piece is particularly challenging for her because the original composer wrote it as an audition piece.

"There are a lot of challenging techniques that I have to play," Collins said. "I really like it though. The song itself is about a boy traveling through a forest, and there are lots of kinds of styles within that story."

Glocke noted that "The Rivers," the piece that features Stambler as a soloist, is also interesting.

"This will be one of the first performances of the piece, ever," Glocke said. "Penn State was actually involved in a group of schools that commissioned the composer to write this particular piece."