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Sun Oct 12, 2025 – 3pm Fort Dodge Middle School Joshua Barlage, conducting Joshua Johnson, horn BRAHMS  Hungarian Dance No. 5 R. STRAUSS  Horn Concerto No. 1 RODGERS/Bennett  Selections from The Sound of Music J. STRAUSS  Feuerfest Polka BRUCH  Symphony No. 3 Raise your steins for an unforgettable afternoon of music and merriment! Join us as we celebrate the musical spirit of Bavaria with Strauss’s Horn Concerto, beloved tunes from The Sound of Music, and Max Bruch’s Symphony No. 3, a masterwork of German romantic grandeur. From lush harmonies to sweeping melodies, this concert will have you singing all the way home. Josh is an in demand performer, clinician and educator who is based in central Iowa. Although he is well traveled, Josh hasn’t moved far from his roots having grown up in the “mile wide” city of Denver, Iowa. He is an active member of the Des Moines Symphony (4th Horn), Quad City Symphony (3rd Horn) and has performed extensively with a number of groups in the region: Omaha Symphony, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ballet Des Moines, South Dakota Symphony and the Lincoln Symphony. In addition to orchestral performing, Josh is an active chamber musician who loves to seek out new collaborations and new commissions. He has performed with the Des Moines and Quad City Brass Quintets, the QCSO Horns and even co-founded a non-profit, Horns of the Heartland. While performance is an important part of his life, Josh’s most passionate endeavor is music education. He believes all aspiring musicians deserve an opportunity to better their craft and should have access to a quality music education regardless of income or geographic location! To provide a platform for this mission, he serves as an Associate Teaching Professor at Iowa State University. At ISU he runs the horn studio, teaches music theory, coaches brass chamber music and performs with the Faculty Brass Trio. Josh has also held teaching positions at the University of Northern Iowa, Grinnell College, Drake University and Simpson College. He is lucky to have the opportunity to work with some of the most eager and talented high school students in Iowa. While all of these students may not choose music as a career, Josh is proud to say a number of his students have gone on to find fulfilling livelihoods as doctors, lawyers, professors, astrophysicists, entrepreneurs and engineers. Josh holds a B.M. in performance from the University of Iowa and an M.M. in performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a proud member of Local 75 of the American Federation of Musicians. Josh performs exclusively on Lukas horns and Laskey Mouthpieces. Admission is by season membership or individual concert ticket ($15) available for purchase at the door.  Students & children (with an adult) are always welcomed free of charge at Symphony performances.