The Washtenaw Community Concert Band held their “Women in Music” concert Thursday night with special guest Nan Raphael at Washtenaw Community College’s Towsley Auditorium.

Raphael, a world-renowned piccolo soloist from Washington, D.C., headlined the show, which focused on the contributions of women to music.

“We’ve got women, women, women, women for you tonight,” said Joe Burke, president of the band and a trumpet player, during the introduction.

All of the music selected for the show was either composed by a woman, featured a woman soloist, or was conducted by a woman. Amy Knopps, director of the Eastern Michigan University Marching Band, was a guest conductor for selections composed by male artists.

In a surprise that was not on the program, Raphael wowed the audience with a piece by Tilmann Dehnhard titled “Wake Up.” An alarm clock was her only accompaniment. The performance was a unique experience for most in the crowd who were not familiar with Dehnhard’s piece. It drew the loudest applause of the night.

After a brief intermission, the male musicians took a break while the females performed “Ladies First!” under the direction of guest conductor Beth Wondolowski, music teacher at Whitmore Lake Middle School and member of the band's flute section.

Saying that the there was no piece of music to fit the women-only selection, Alan Singer arranged “Ladies First!” by combining other songs.

“There’s about 14 or 15 tunes in there so you may recognize some of them like ‘Clementine’ and ‘Annie’s Song,’” Singer, a clarinet player, told the audience.

Dorothy Norton and Jane Salcau, friends and local residents, attend the band’s concerts regularly. Both were in agreement about the value that the band brings to the community. But on a night that celebrated women, one musician stood out among the rest.

“Of course it was the piccolo soloist,” said Norton. “You couldn’t beat her.”

Since the theme of the evening was “Women in Music,” conductor Jerry Robbins announced the band would be playing the most popular piece of music ever written by a woman. The crowd got a good laugh when the percussion section started “The Celebrated Chop Waltz,” also commonly known as “Chopsticks.”

Other musical selections included “Celtic Festival” by Nancy Seward, "Italian Rhapsody" by Julie Giroux, and “Piccolo Picante” by Derek Bourgeois.

Continuing the theme of celebrating women, the band invited three local artists from Ann Arbor Women Artists to present their work. Paintings from Suzanne Beutler, Angie Nagel Miller, and Marie Glysson were displayed at the reception following the show.

Prior to the concert, 20 students from area middle and high schools attended a clinic hosted by Raphael. During the hour-long clinic, Raphael taught the students a few basic techniques and exercises they should do every time they practice. Even warming up with scales is a practice that Raphael said she does every time she practices, even though she has been playing professionally since 1977.

Michaela Chapin, 11, a flute player from Whitmore Lake Middle School, said in addition to teaching techniques, Raphael also talked to the group about being confident when they perform.

“I just tried to tell them to love what you do, no matter how far you go with it,” Raphael said. “It’s fun.”

Andrew Turner is an intern with the Community Team at AnnArbor.com. Have a neighborhood news tip? Email community@annarbor.com.