WT Orchestra, Amarillo Rock All-Stars Reteam for Oct. 3 Homecoming Concert

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Tickets are on sale now for a West Texas A&M University Homecoming concert teaming an all-star band of Amarillo rockers with the WT Symphony Orchestra.

“Listen to the Music,” featuring Flashback! alongside the WT student musicians, is set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus.

Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for WT students, faculty and staff with a Buff Gold Card. Tickets may be purchased at cur8.com/22281/project/133321.

A portion of proceeds will benefit the WT Symphony Orchestra.

The concert, part of a week of Homecoming 2025 activities, is the second pops concert teaming the Amarillo musicians with the collegiate orchestra.

“We train our student musicians to be versatile and multi-faceted—literally from Bach to rock,” said Dr. Mark Bartley, director of orchestral activities and the Lilith Brainard Professor of Music. “We had a blast in 2022 performing symphonic rock with Flashback!, and getting to perform again with our local pros is a special treat for everyone.” 

The concert will be packed with popular hits of the 1970s and ’80s: “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin, “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, “Living in America” by James Brown, “Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John, “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night and more, including the Doobie Brothers hit that gives the concert its name.

“They are sing-alongs—fun, feel-good, iconic and nostalgic,” said Karr Ingham, Flashback! founder and drummer. “They lend themselves well to orchestration—strings, horns, the works. This will be an incredible show.”

Flashback! will feature a murderer’s row of popular Amarillo musicians: Ingham of Karr & The Krash and Goldrush; Chuck Alexander of Insufficient Funds and Krakt on bass and lead vocals; Larry Martin of The Prairie Dogs and Tone-Deaf Cowboys on lead and rhythm guitar; Byron Roberts of Monarch and Woven Wild on lead and rhythm guitar; Marc Darby of The Texas Blues Rangers on piano and keyboards; and, on background vocals, Mary Lyn Halley of Insufficient Funds, Michelle Sanford of Young Country, Stacy Flores of Touching Voodoo and Ace & Stace, and Gracie Ingham of the WT Master Chorale.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key goal of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $170 million.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—