ROCK ISLAND — The Augustana Symphonic Band, under the direction of Dr. James Lambrecht, will perform concerts in Japan in March and April. Between performances, students will visit multiple cities throughout Japan and fully immerse themselves in the culture.

The 50-person ensemble, including Linnea Tabaka, class of 2023 from Monroe, will perform pieces by Yasuhide Ito, Philip Sparke, Julie Giroux, David Maslanka, Frank Ticheli and John Philip Sousa.

Originally scheduled for spring 2020, the tour was postponed due to COVID-19. This tour is especially important to current seniors as they will embark on their first tour abroad.

“This tour is a fulfillment of a promise I made to try to go back to Japan,” said Dr. Lambrecht. “This will be a life-changing experience for the students to witness and participate not only in a very different, but modern Asian culture such as Japan, but to view and be part of the great band programs in Japan that rival the U.S. and Europe.”

The Augustana Symphonic Band’s connections to Japan date back to 2009, when Dr. Lambrecht was appointed a guest conductor at the Musashino Academia Musicae, a top music school in Japan. He has since spent four semesters teaching as a guest conductor.

Known for sparking passionate curiosity, Augustana College is an empowering home to explore over 90 areas of study. Augustana’s innovative program, Augie Choice, transforms students into global citizens, thinkers and doers with a $2,000 grant to explore the world, complete an internship or conduct research with a professor. Augustana students achieve a balance inside and outside of the classroom; ranking top ten in all divisions for Academic All Americans. Transformed to be different, current students and alumni include healthcare heroes, Nobel Prize winners, CEOs, college presidents and leaders across all continents. The college enrolls 2,500 curious changemakers who get energized by four years as part of a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.