According to a news release, the band will be joined by the Fez & Thistle Pipe and Drum Band of the El Zagal Shrine Oilers. The Fez & Thistle will play two pieces with the band and provide a musical interlude. The Fez & Thistle will be represented by bagpipers John R. Young, John B. Young III, Daniel Young, Aidan Johnson, and Bailee Bulman and percussionists Nick Johnson and Tyler Hall. The group has been playing together since 2016. It has played at numerous regional events, including in parades in Minot and Bismarck.

The concert will feature some great holiday tunes and arrangements, including “A Christmas Suite,” a fun arrangement of “Wassail Song,” “Lo, How a Rose,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” featuring bass trombonist Brook Jenks, and many more Christmas favorites.

The Brass Band of Minot is directed by Wayne Schempp and consists of brass and percussion players from Minot and other communities in northwest North Dakota who share a love of British-style brass band music.

Brass Band of Minot concerts are free and open to the public, though cash and check donations are welcome and help pay for the band’s expenses. The hall has a hearing loop system for hearing aid users and an elevator accessible from the east side of Old Main.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The band’s 2024-2025 concert season will continue with concerts on Feb. 16 and March 30.