NIU’s Wind Ensemble and All-University Band teamed up Tuesday night to deliver a tribute concert for those affected by the Feb. 14 shootings. Their evocative performances delivered a message of recovery, progress and remembrance.

The Wind Ensemble began the evening with the prelude and scherzo of “Hammersmith” by Gustav Holst, a driving, though somewhat forboding, number.

The All-University Band followed with Norman Dello Joio’s more upbeat “Scenes from the Louvre,” before delivering its dedication, “Through the Eyes of Courage,” by Brian Balmages.

“Through the Eyes of Courage” was written as a tribute to a middle school student who died of spina bifida. The piece leads in with cheery chimes, developes into an early swell, and with clashing cymbals becomes uptempo and bright for the duration.

Band director Peter Muller prefaced the song, commenting on the unorthodox nature of the piece: Unlike most songs written as tributes to those who have died, “Eyes of Courage” is instead celebratory, Muller said.

“I think the healing and us moving on is going to happen through courageous eyes,” Muller added before beginning the song.

The bravery of the piece and of the All-University Band performance was in its willingness to recover with high spirits.

The Wind Ensemble had just finished rehearsing “Sanctuary” by Frank Ticheli on Feb. 14 when the news of the shooting reached them. Their conductor, Ronnie Wooten, remarked proudly Tuesday night that he would always remember what they were doing when the news came.

“We were playing this piece, and it was just sounding really special,” Wooten said.

Lower-tempo and more solemn than the All-University Band’s tribute song, “Sanctuary” used a delicate glockenspiel, lulling flute and clarinet features, and sparse piano notes to give a deeply poignant sound. The pensive ending brought a somber feel to the end of the concert, rousing the audience to an emotional standing ovation at its finale.

The Wind Ensemble also performed “Symphony No. 3, Slavyanksaya” by Boris Kozhevnikov, and “Handel in the Strand” by Percy Grainger.