A heartfelt tribute was recently presented by high school musicians in Iowa to the late daughter of a band director (who passed away).
On Sunday, April 13, members of two different high school bands in Johnston, Iowa, collaborated in order to present a piece of music that was titled “Anna’s Gift.”
Anna Heeren, the daughter of Jason Heeren, the director of the band at Johnston High School, was honoured with the performance of the commissioned piece for her occasion.
In May of 2022, Anna, who was 15 years old at the time, passed away after being diagnosed with bilateral thalamic glioma brain tumours.
Upon hearing that students from Johnston and Dallas Center-Grimes high schools had proposed the idea of commissioning the piece in Anna’s memory, Jason reached out to Andrew Boysen Jr., the composer of the piece.
According to Jason, the piece of music perfectly captures Anna’s upbeat and positive nature.
“Anna was a bubbly young lady just bouncing all over the place,” Jason said to himself. It was said that she was a wonderful clarinettist and pianist in addition to being a stunning singer.
During the performance of the piece that took place on Sunday, members of the Johnston High School wind symphony and the DC-G 11-2 concert band ascended the stage.
“If there’s one way that you can truly remember someone forever, it’s through music,” remarked Jason in response. “And this is going to be with us forever.”
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Anna was a member of her church, played softball, soccer and ran cross country, as stated in her obituary. In addition to her musical endeavours, she was also instrumental in her community.
In addition, Anna had a deep affection for school, which she described as a “special place” where her “love began as an infant when she would accompany her dad to his band room in her stroller and later to the football fields as he directed the marching band,” according to the biography that was written about her.
When her father hears the new music, it serves as a heartfelt reminder of the bright daughter he will never forget.
“Very grateful for this opportunity and for this gift,” he stated. “It really means a lot.”
