Milwaukee Community Music Blog

A number of things this week...

2009-07-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hope you were at the last Shorewood Concert Band concert of the season. Lot's of fun with circus music. And a lot of pennies were collected for the Shorewood High School Band fund. Hopefully they will add up.

And a special note from Dr. Pat Backhaus of the Milwaukee Festival Brass, Milwaukee's only British style Brass Band. She tells me that MFB will be holding auditions for the soprano e-flat cornet slot for the coming season. If you are interested or need more information, send an email to Dr. Pat at: director@mfbrass.org, or call 262-385-9627.

I have an update on the concerts in Racine. Music Director Mark Eichner is celebrating the music of English composers for band this season. Here is an update of the remaining concerts, including soloists and featured music.

July 19 at 7:30 - Diane Cosmala is featured on clarinet. The featured music is the English Folk Song Suite of Ralph Vaughn Williams.

July 26 at 7:30 - Rick Sunier performs Spanish Dance Number 5 from Enrique Granados on the euphonium. Vocalist Allison Hull joins the band for some music from opera and a little Gershwin. The concert also features three movements from the Moorside Suite bu Gustav Holst.

August 2 at 7 PM - Besides a wonderful flute duet featuring Beth Kapralian and Vera Olguin, Gregory Berg from Gateway Technical Institute performing music of the Gershwins and Lerner and Lowe. Gordon Jacob's Original Suite is featured on the program.

August 9 at 7 PM - Katherine Hall performs Gabriel's Oboe from The Mission, and vocalist Aimee Hall, a former UW-Parkside student, performs some popular favorites. Sea Songs by Ralph Vaughn Williams is the featured piece.

August 16 at 7 PM - The annual Children's concert featuring a trumpet trio, and Michael Snider narrating The Bremen Town Musicians. And there may be a chance for the kids in the audience to conduct the band...

August 23 at 7 PM - The finale of the summer season features Music Director Mark Eichner performing the Trumpet Concerto in D by Tartini, and wonderful standards sung by Jeannie Hatfield, a former Miss Racine.

The concerts are all held at Zoo Park. Admission to the park for the concerts only are free. You will need to pay admission to the Zoo if you come earlier in the afternoon (fair is fair).

Concert Updates

2009-07-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

I now have the list of concerts for the summer season of the Racine Concert Band, but before I list them, just a reminder that this Thursday is the final concert of the summer season for the Shorewood Concert Band. It will be at 7 PM in Atwater Park (corner of Capitol Drive and Lake Drive). The concert will feature the music of the Circus. Be sure to check your chairs and couches for pennies and bring them to the concert. The penny drive will benefit the band program at Shorewood High School. My guess is that if you bring other money, they will accept that as well. See you there.

Now on the the Racine Band. Each concert has at least one Sousa March and one other march. The concerts usually also feature a famous classical piece. And every concert will have a special guest, some from the band itself, and others from the area. Here's the concert schedule with the start times:
July 12 - 7:00
July 19 - 7:30
July 26 - 7:30
August 2 - 7:00
August 9 - 7:00
August 16 - 7:00
August 23 - 7:00

All of the concerts are at the Racine Zoo. While the Zoo charges admission during the day, there is no cost to attend the concert (as long as you don't arrive 5 hours early). Bring a lawn chair or blanket. The concert stage is at the bottom of a hill, giving a nice sound to everyone sitting on the hill - a natural amphitheater!

So be sure to take in one of the concerts - or maybe all. The price is right and so is the music!

A belated Happy Independence Day

2009-07-05T08:55:00.001-07:00

I trust you enjoyed the celebrations in your area, the parades, the picnics, and hopefully a concert. Certainly the fireworks!

I was able to enjoy a performance of the UW Badger Band. As always, a great show.

But the summer concerts continue. This Wednesday is a performance of the Whitefish Bay Community Band at 7 PM in the park across from the library. And next Sunday begins the summer concert series by the Racine Concert Band at the Racine Zoo.

There are performances all over. If you are in the far western suburbs, the Oconomowoc Legion Band continues their summer performances this Wednesday evening.

Lots to enjoy. Take in a community band concert! I know you'll have a good time.

Summer Concerts are in full swing!

2009-06-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

First a reminder: Tuesday the 30th is the only concert by the Milwaukee American Legion Band at Humboldt park this summer. Concert begins at 6:30. See you there.

I've mentioned the Shorewood Concert Band schedule and the Whitefish Bay Band schedule in a previous post. Here's the schedule for one of the longest running bands in the metro area - our neighbors to the South, the Racine Concert Band.

The Racine Concert Band has been in existence since 1877. In 1923 they officially were sponsored by the City of Racine (named the Racine Park Board Band) and began a series of free concerts. There were a couple of other name changes as well, the Racine Municipal Band in 1967 , and the Racine Concert Band in 1996.

The Racine Concert Band is one of 37 community bands in all of North America to be honored by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation. In December of 1995, they were awarded the Sudler Silver Scroll, the highest honor a community band can achieve. While a number of groups can receive the award in any given year, to this day there are only 37 bands to be so honored.

Since then the group continues the tradition began in the late 1800's, performing high quality free concerts for the people of Racine and its visitors. At the end of last season, the band had performed over 1400 free concerts! Quite an impressive run!

This year the summer season begins on July 4th with the Racine Independence Day Parade on Main Street in the morning and a concert of Patriotic music at North Beach beginning at 8 PM, just before the fireworks.

The summer season at the Zoo begins on Sunday July 12th at 7:30 PM. (If you come to the Zoo for the day, remember that the Racine Zoo is now charging admission. If you come just for the concert, admission is free.) Concerts will also be held at the Zoo on July 19 and 26, also at 7:30. In August, the concert time changes to 7:00 due to the available daylight. Those concert dates are August 2, 9, 16, and 23.

Director Mark Eichner has a lot planned for this season. Be sure to take in at least one of these fine concerts. Better yet, enjoy them all! See you there!

Sorry I'm Late

2009-06-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

It's been one of those weeks, and in all the confusion, I did not prepare a post for Sunday. I apologise. My intention was to let you know about the summer concert series of the Racine Concert Band. I'll push that back to this coming Sunday.

In the meantime, don't forget the next concert by the Shorewood Concert Band, this Thursday evening at 7 PM in Atwater Park, corner of Capital Drive and Lake Drive. I'll be there, and I hope you will be too!

Summer Band Information

2009-06-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

Here's some information about the schedules for two community bands in the North Shore area.

First, is the Shorewood Concert Band. This last Saturday was their first concert, in conjunction with the Shorewood Men's Club Chicken Dinner at Atwater Park. (By the way, the chicken was great and the concert was too!) Here's the rest of their schedule for the Summer.

June 25 at 7 PM in Atwater Park

July 4 in Atwater Park as a part of the Independence Day Celebration at 6:30 PM

July 17 at 7 PM in Atwater Park

Whitefish Bay also has a community band, with concerts held in Old Schoolhouse Park.

June 24 at 7 PM

July 8 at 7 PM

July 22 at 7 PM

August 2 at 3 PM

August 9 at 3 PM

I'll have concert listings soon for one of the longest running community bands in the area, the Racine Concert Band. And if you know the schedules for your favorite community band, leave a comment with the schedule and we'll all benefit. Thanks.

So, there are some options for your calendar for free summer fun. Enjoy the concerts!

Forgot to include this

2009-06-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

I forgot to include this reminder in the last post...

This Saturday is the first concert of the Shorewood Concert Band, appearing as a part of the Shorewood Men's Club Chicken Dinner. The festivities are all day at Atwater Park (Capitol Drive and Lake Drive) with the Shorewood Band performing at 4:30 PM.

So stop by, enjoy the music, and have a great barbecue chicken dinner prepared by Rupena's. Yum!

A Milwaukee Music Tradition Continues

2009-06-07T05:13:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the concert June 7th by the Milwaukee Festival Brass at Wisconsin Lutheran College at 3 PM...now back to our regularly scheduled posting.

This tradition will continue in 2009...

The Milwaukee American Legion Band will perform a concert in Humboldt Park this summer. This performance continues a tradition as long as I can remember. Even when I was a kid, our family would go to see the American Legion Band perform concerts in the park during the summer. Unfortunately, this year, like last year, the band will perform only one concert. However, that does keep the tradition going! It also means that we all need to set the date aside on our calendars!

The concert will be held on Tuesday June 30th at the Music Chalet in Humboldt Park, as one of the concerts in the Chill On The Hill series. The music begins at 6:30. At this time, I am not aware of any music on the program. Needless to say, it will begin with the traditional March of the Champions, and end with the traditional encore.

So, don't miss out on a Milwaukee Tradition, from the great setting at Humboldt Park, to the traditional opening and closing numbers of the concert. See you there on Tuesday June 30th!

The first Summer Concert - and Chicken Too!

2009-05-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

Don't forget this coming Sunday June 7th is the Interlactic Brass concert performed by the Milwaukee Festival Brass. The concert begins at 3 PM in the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. See you there.

Now on to the summer season! The first of the summer concerts is performed by the Shorewood Concert Band under the direction of Dr. Pat Backhaus (who also leads the Milwaukee Festival Brass). It will be held in Shorewood's Atwater Park, corner of Capitol Drive and Lake Drive on Saturday June 13 at 4:30. This will be in conjunction with the Shorewood Mens Club Chicken Dinner fundraiser. Besides a nice concert from Shorewood Band, you can also enjoy a barbecue chicken dinner from Rupena's. (Very good, take my word for it.)

This year Dr. Pat's first Shorewood concert is entitled Hands Across the Sea. The band will feature selections from the European Union including March of the Belgian Paratroopers, British Master's Suite and Gustav Holst's First Suite for Military Band. From the US, the band will include Sousa's Hands Across the Sea (of course).

The concert will be great fun and the chicken will be very tasty. No need to cook on June 13th. Enjoy a concert and dinner and help raise funds for an organization that supports the Shorewood Concert Band! Everybody wins!

Remembering

2009-05-19T11:49:00.001-07:00

I always shake my head when I hear someone say "Happy Memorial Day". One of my pet peeves...

The day was set aside to honor those who gave their lives that we might keep our freedom. It started out known as Decoration Day. President Johnson in 1966 declared that Waterloo NY was the birthplace of Memorial Day, but it is difficult to trace the origin. Most likely, the idea began in a number of places and grew to become a national day of remembrance.

Here in Milwaukee, there are two concerts to honor Memorial Day, one by the Knightwind Ensemble at the Zoo at 1 PM, and the other at 5 PM in Memorial Hall at the War Memorial Center downtown performed by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band. Both concerts will be fun but will also observe the solemn reasons behind the holiday. Certainly, there will be many services at local cemeteries all over the Milwaukee area which will also remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

On a lighter note, I will be at the concert at the Zoo, assisting the Knightwind Ensemble with their last concert of the season. If you are there, stop by and say Hi. I'll be moving equipment to and from the truck.

But please keep Memorial Day as a day of remembrance. Thanks much!

The last Spring Concert

2009-05-17T05:31:00.000-07:00

The last of the Spring concerts will be held on Sunday June 7th at 3 PM in the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. The Milwaukee Festival Brass will present Intergalactic Brass.

The concert will feature some great music all associated with stars and sky. Music from Star Trek and Star Wars along with Hoagy Carmichael's Stardust fill the pop side of the concert. Great transcriptions of Holst's Mars and Jupiter show off great technical facility from the brass.

The feature of the program is the US Premier of Judith Bingham's The Stars Above the Earth Below, a monumental work inspired by a poem of W.B. Yeats. It's a story tells of a large winged bird that flies over the strife torn country. Using a vast array of notes it is posslble to hear the wings of the bird. Bingham uses some very interesting combinations of instruments to paint fairytale world through sound.

Judith Bingham is a living, British composer. In 1977 she received the BBC's Young Composer award. She has written a great deal of choral music for the King's Singers, conductor Peter Pears and the BBC Singers, of which she was a member for 11 years.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $9 for Students and Seniors. For more information, see the Milwaukee Festival Brass web site: http://www.mfbrass.org/

Also, don't forget the Memorial Day concerts on May 25th. Remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to allow us to play in and support Community Music Groups. We owe them our way of life!

The last of the Spring concerts again

2009-05-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

When I posted the last of the spring concerts, I had forgotten about two of them. This post mentions one of the concerts, and next week, I'll provide information on the other one.

The first concert is this Tuesday May 12th at Longfellow Middle School in Wauwatosa performed by the Wauwatosa Community Band. The concert, entitled Music of Wisconsin and America, begins at 7:30. Included in the program is American Sketches: A Folk Song Set of Wisconsin, as well as On Wisconsin...can't have a concert of Wisconsin music without that one! Also on the program is a standard of the US Army Band written by their former director Joseph Wilcox Jenkins: American Overture for Band. You have to listen for the French Horns in this piece!

Joining the band is Chris Flieller of the In Tandem Theatre company to narrate the band's performance of Casey at the Bat. The kids will love it.

Rounding out the program is music from the movies: The Magnificent Seven and The Cowboys (music by John Williams and the only film in which John Wayne's character died).

The concerts are always fun, so don't miss out. Longfellow Middle School is on the corner of 76th and North Avenue and parking is plentiful. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for Seniors and Students, and can be purchased at the door. Even more good news: Longfellow is open and not affected by the swine flu closings!

Mark your calendars!

In Observance of Memorial Day

2009-05-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the Memorial Day information, I found out that there is one more concert in the Spring season that I have not mentioned. On Tuesday May 12 the Wauwatosa Community Band will perform at Longfellow Middle School in Wauwatosa (76th and North Avenue). I do not have any other information at this time. As soon as I get it, I will post it. And also on Saturday evening the 16th, don't forget the concert by the Menomonee Falls Symohony, which I previewed last week.

There are two concerts in the Milwaukee area (that I am aware of) for the observance of Memorial Day, both being performed on Monday May 25.

The first will be performed by the Knightwind Ensemble at 1 PM in the Peck Welcome Center (indoors) of the Milwaukee County Zoo. The concert is an old-fashioned concert in the park, complete with music from Broadway and the Movies, some light classics, and some patriotic music. This concert always finishes with the Salute to the Armed Forces, a rousing finish to a fun concert. And the concert is included with your admissioon to the Zoo.

Having a concert in the park held indoors is a good move for Memorial Day. The weather is just too changeable to hold the concert outdoors.

The second concert is later in the afternoon. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band performs a Memorial Day concert at 5 PM in Memorial Hall at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center, Wells Street at the Lakefront. This is a free concert honoring those who have fallen and have served their country. Selections include American Patriot Overture, Tribute, A Quiet Music for the Fallen, A Billy Joel Portrait, and the Armed Forces Salute.

So you have a number of options for observing Memorial Day, part fun music and part solemn remberance.

Last of the Spring Concerts

2009-04-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the upcoming concert this coming Friday May 1 at 7:30. The Waukesha Area Symphonic Band features the winner of their concerto competition, Emily Duffy, Hornist, performing the first Horn Concerto of Richard Strauss. The concert will be at Shattuck Auditorium on the campus of Carroll University.

The last of the Spring concerts occurs on Saturday May 16 at 7:30 PM. The Menomonee Falls Symphony present a Spring concert. The Orchestra will perform Robert Schumann's First Symphony, the Spring Symphony. Also on the program is Copland's Appalachian Spring.

The guest artist joining the Menomonee Falls Symphony is flutist Colleen White, winner of the Symphony's Young Artist Competition earlier this year. She will perform the Hungarian Pastoral Fantasy for Flute and Orchestra by Franz Doppler.

Tickets are: Adult $15, Senior $12, Student $6 and can be purchased at the door. For more information, contact Lillian Bautch, 414-481-3880 or Dolores Chrzan, 262-679-0779.

New Youth Group - Revisited

2009-04-19T05:16:00.000-07:00

The news about the Milwaukee Festival Brass starting a youth British-style Brass Band is so good that it bears repeating. So here is the information again!

2009-2010 will be the inaugural year for the program. Membership is open to high school students who pass the audition. Auditions are open to any brass and percussion students who demonstrate a passion for music and are highly skilled on their instruments. Brass band music requires all of the brass musicians to learn treble clef and percussionists should be all around players as parts are rotated. F horn is not used in brass band and students will be asked to play e-flat tenor horns. Likewise, trumpet is not used and trumpeters will be asked to play cornet. Cornets, tenor horns and E-flat tuba will be provided.

The auditions for the Youth Brass Band will be held at the Lincoln School for the Arts, 820 E. Knapp Street in Milwaukee on Friday April 24th by appointment. For the audition, students will be asked to perform a 3-5 minute solo or etude, scales, double & triple tonguing and sight reading. Percussion will be asked to play drum set, timpani, and mallet percussion.

Call the Milwaukee Festival Brass to set up an audition appointment at 262-385-9627, OR visit their website at http://www.mfbrass.org/, to get more information. Questions can be emailed to: Director@mfbrass.org

I know one thing for sure. The students who make the Youth Brass Band will have great fun. Dr. Pat is a very good director, balancing fun with musical excellence. What a great thing for the Milwaukee area!

Information on Summer Concerts

2009-04-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

Springtime is here.

I know because I received information from Dr. Pat Backhaus about the summer season of the Shorewood Concert Band. For those of you who are not familiar with the group, they rehearse on Thursday evenings one week, and perform a concert the next week. The only exception to this is the first concert, which is a part of the Shorewood Men's Club Chicken Dinner, and the 4th of July concert.

I wrote about their concerts last year. Besides playing marches, show tunes, and fun music in a traditional park setting, they also play a classical masterpiece every now and then. And they do a nice job at it considering they have only one rehearsal before a concert. Out of the many summer community bands in the area, the Shorewood Concert Band is one of the better ones.

No audition is needed. Everyone is welcome. If you would like to play, please contact Dr. Pat at CornetPat@aol.com.

Here's the schedule of rehearsals and concerts:

June 11th - rehearsal at 7PM
June 13th concert at 4:30 PM as a part of the Men's Club Chicken Dinner, Atwater Park
June 18th rehearsal 7PM
June 25th concert at 7PM, Atwater Park
June 30th rehearsal at 7PM
July 4th concert at 6:30, Atwater Park
July 9th rehearsal
July 16th concert, Atwater Park

So dust off the old horn, get the chops buzzing, and send Dr. Pat an email. You'll be happy you did!

Upcoming Waukesha Area Symphonic Band Concert

2009-04-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

The Waukesha Area Symphonic Band (WASB) will perform their next concert on Friday May 1 at 7:30 in the Shattuck Auditorium on the campus of Carroll University in Waukesha. The theme of the concert is colors.shapes.lines, and will feature the winner of the WASB Concerto competition, french hornist Ms. Emily Duffy.

Ms. Duffy is a junior at Waukesha West High School, who not only plays in the band but also the school's Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. In addition, she finds time to run track, play in the jazz band, and perform with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra as the Principal Horn in the Senior Symphony. She currently studies with Darcy Hamlin of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. She will perform Horn Concerto Number 1 of Richard Strauss.

The Band will present music based on the theme of colors, shapes and line. Music to be performed will include Roger Cichy’s Colours, Mark Camphouse’s Fantasia on Black is the Color Of My True Love’s Hair and a world premiere of Music Director Rick Kirby’s composition titled Lines, Curves and Circles.

In keeping with a WASB tradition, this concert will benefit a charity in the Waukesha Area. This year’s beneficiary will be Waukesha’s Adaptive Community Approach Program (ACAP). ACAP serves adults with physical disabilities within Waukesha County. Some of their current programs include Graffiti Effacing, transplanting of plants, seed sorting and chipping trails for Retzer Nature Center, shopping for the elderly, providing snow removal, leaf raking and lawn trimming for Interfaith, and cooking meals at Sienna and Hebron House.

Tickets for the May 1st concert are $10 and are available by calling 262/370-6129 or in the Shattuck Auditorium lobby on the evening of the concert.

Milwaukee Festival Brass Youth Band

2009-03-29T05:38:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a few posts ago that the Milwaukee Festival Brass have begun organizing a Youth brass band. 2009-2010 will be the inaugural year for the program. Auditions are open to any brass and percussion students who demonstrate a passion for music and are highly skilled on their instruments. Brass band music requires all of the brass musicians to learn treble clef and percussionist should be all around players as parts are rotated. F horn is not used in brass band and students will be asked to play e-flat tenor horns. Likewise, trumpet is not used and trumpeters will be asked to play cornet. Cornets, tenor horns and E-flat tuba will be provided.

The auditions for the Youth Brass Band will be held at the Lincoln School for the Arts, 820 E. Knapp Street in Milwaukee on Friday April 24th by appointment. For the audition, students will be asked to perform a 3-5 minute solo or etude, scales, double & triple tonguing and sight reading. Percussion will be asked to play drum set, timpani, and mallet percussion.

Dr. Patricia Backhaus will direct the NEW Milwaukee Festival Youth Brass. She has been passionately involved with brass music from a very young age and earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Pat is an internationally known trumpet and cornet soloist as well as a band history scholar. Her interest in pioneer women brass players stems from a doctoral project studying the history of early cornet soloists and her work as a band history scholar has been published in several international journals.

Call the Milwaukee Festival Brass to set up an audition appointment at 262-385-9627, OR visit our website at http://www.mfbrass.org/, to get more information. Questions can be emailed to: Director@mfbrass.org

And don't forget the MFB Annual Guest Night, where you can join the MFB members in an open rehearsal to see what it is like. Any brass or percussion player is invited to sit in. Please contact the MFB Manager at manager@mfbrass.org, and as always BRING A STAND.

Oh, one other thing...ENJOY!

Upcoming Concert in Wauwatosa

2009-03-22T00:57:00.000-07:00

The Wauwatosa Community Band is in concert on Tuesday evening March 31 at 7:30 PM at Longfellow Middle School in Wauwatosa (corner of 76th and North). But this one is different. The concert will be a collection of recitals of small groups from within the Wauwatosa Community Band. The different groups performing include a Brass Choir, a Woodwind Choir, the Percussion Ensemble, Trumpets and Trombones, a Trombone choir, a Tuba Quartet, a Flute quartet, a Clarinet choir, a Saxophone choir, and a woodwind and brass quintet. (Whew!)

The concert finishes with a short program from Tosa Jazz, the jazz big band arm of the Wauwatosa Community Band, will perform some new charts, never before performed in concert. The cost of the concert is $5, $3 for Seniors and Students.

Upcoming Concert - Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band

2009-03-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the Knightwind Ensemble concert this Sunday March 22 at 3 PM at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Check their site for the details. If you attend, stop by and say hello. I'll be manning the ticket table.

Also next week, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band will present Music for the Young and Young at Heart on Saturday March 28th at 3 PM also in Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. The group's director, Karen Lippert, tells me that this concert celebrates the 15th anniversary of MMCCB. Celebrating with the band, and guest conducting, will be the founding directors of the band: Dr. Patricia Backhaus, and Mr. Richard Mannisto.

The program will include pieces that reflect the life of a child - exuberance, playfulness and rest - such as Festive Overture (Shostakovich), The Teddy Bear's Picnic (Bratton), Creatures of Dreams (Barber), Joy Revisited (Tichelli), Easter Monday on the White House Lawn (Sousa), and Sleep (Whitacre).

This free concert will also include a special intermission with "Cookies & Milk", certainly a big event in a child's day!

The MMCCB always presents a fun program. And so I suggest that you take some time out of all your errands Saturday afternoon and help them celebrate their anniversary. You'll have a good time.

Upcoming concerts and other stuff

2009-03-08T04:15:00.000-07:00

Back in January I wrote about two of the pieces on the program to be performed by the Knightwind Ensemble on Sunday March 22 at 3 PM at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Here's some information on the feature piece, Van Gogh Portraits by Aldo Rafael Forte.

First a bit about Mr. Forte. He is Composer / Arranger for the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band stationed at Fort Langley, VA. He is also Adjunct Professor of Composition at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. He came to America at the age of nine, having been born in Cuba. His compositions are varied, having produced works for chamber orchestra, band, and orchestra.

The Van Gogh Portraits are his musical interpretations of a number of works by Van Gogh. The Potato Eaters is the first movement inspired by the dark painting of a poor peasant family eating a simple meal of potatoes. La Berceuse is a lighthearted, rollicking second movement based on portraits of the wife of Vah Gogh's postman. The Zouave, which features the percussion section, represents soldiers of North African origin, who were first brought to European awareness by Napolean. The Drawbridge was inspired by the Langiois Bridge. The Finale is a musical essay on Van Gogh's last self portrait, painted only months before his suicide. The work is very difficult to perform, but very exciting, interesting, and enjoyable.

For more information, see the Knightwind web site: http://www.knightwind.org/.

And on Sunday March 15th, Tosa Jazz is in concert at Plymouth Church, 2717 E. Hampshire, at 7 PM. I don't have any information at this time, but hope to get some details soon. More information on Tosa Jazz is at their website: http://www.arcfile.com/wcb/index.html

Finally, I received word from the Milwaukee Festival Brass that they have set the audition date for the Youth Brass Band. It is April 22. I'll have more details in the next couple of weeks. And speaking of the Milwaukee Festival Brass, I'll see you at their concert this afternoon at Wisconsin Lutheran College at 3 PM. Don't forget to bring some non-perishable food items for the Hunger Task Force!

Milwaukee Festival Brass - Concert this Sunday

2009-03-05T05:28:00.000-08:00

I was reminded last night that the MFB concert this Sunday at 3 PM at Wisconsin Lutheran College is also a benefit for The Hunger Task Force. Bring two or more non-perishable food items and receive a discount on admission.

So, there you have it! Take in a great concert this Sunday, get a discount on the admission, and do something good for the Hunger Task Force. Your Sunday is set!

More from the Milwaukee Festival Brass

2009-03-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

Last week I mentioned the upcoming concert by the MFB at 3 PM on March 8th at Wisconsin Lutheran College. It will be a good one, so be sure to mark your calendar. Mine is!

Today I devote the posting to two programs of the Milwaukee Festival Brass: one an ongoing program, and one that is totally new.

The program that is continuing is the High School Apprentice Program. In the past, the MFB has invited talented high school students to audition for a few selected positions in Milwaukee Festival Brass. By playing some of the concerts in the series, students gain valuable experience by sitting next to seasoned players. The current group of HSAP players view Tuesday rehearsals as one of the highlights of their week. Auditions for new applicants to the apprentice program will be held in late April. Any brass or percussion player may audition. Check the Webpage, www.mfbrass.org for more information or e-mail to Director@mfbrass.org.

If you know of a high school student that really enjoys performing brass music, this program is one you should take a close look at. What a great opportunity for students to perform with a very talented group!

The new program being offered by the MFB is The Milwaukee Festival Youth Brass. MFB is proud to announce auditions for the debut year of a full blown brass band for students from about grade 7 through high school. This Youth Band is designed to acquaint students with the fabulous repertoire of the brass band and to challenge them to extraordinary new heights of brass and percussion playing. Auditions will be held in late April. Any brass or percussion player may audition. Check the Webpage for more information or e-mail to Director@mfbrass.org.

So, congratulations to the Milwaukee Festival Brass for their innovative programs for the Milwaukee area. And be sure to attend their concert on March 8th. It will be a good one. I know I'll be there!

News from the Milwaukee Festival Brass

2009-02-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

The Milwaukee Festival Brass will perform their Festival concert on Sunday March 8th in the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College, 88th and Wisconsin Avenue at 3 PM. Every March the MFB salutes one of the ethnic groups within the City of Festivals, and this year the group salutes Finland with the performance of Jean Sibelius' tone poem Finlandia.

But the MFB is also saluting our Armed Forces and Veterans, performing Henry Fillmore's Americans We, and an Armed Forces Salute.

From the Brass Band world of music, Alan Fernie's brass band standard American Variations will be a highlight to the concert. Rafael Petrie Davilla will be the featured soloist for Edward Gregson's Tuba Concerto and the cornet trio will dazzle you with an evergreen favorite, Leroy Anderson's Bugler's Holiday. And as always there will be a few surprises as the MFB salutes our veterans.

And if you're interested in playing with a British Style Brass Band, the Milwaukee Festival Brass is announcing their Guest Night. You can try it out to see if it works for you, and I guess they can try you out as well. All this will happen on April 7. All they ask is that you contact the band manager so they can have a folder for you (you'll have to bring a stand). RSVP to manager@mfbrass.org.

And another exciting announcement from the Milwaukee Festival Brass next week. Stay tuned.

A fair question, part 2

2009-02-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

This post is a continuation of the thoughts from last week.

I've always felt that the health of a system depends on the health of the different components. When all of the components are healthy and working together, the system is healthy. In southeastern Wisconsin, the arts community is healthy. Classical music, ballet, and theater are all thriving. This is not to say that the different groups are not feeling the recession - we just received a letter from the MSO stating that while ticket sales are good, they are expecting financial problems because of slower donations from corporations. And in any recession, this is to be expected. People and corporations will reduce discretionary spending, as their total funds are reduced.

We have a good tool for funding the larger groups within the Arts community in the United Performing Arts Fund. UPAF has done a wonderful job keeping our large arts groups thriving. However, they focus on the larger groups that also employ many people. They do not have funding for amateur groups with very small budgets, groups that produce concerts or events completely with volunteers.

An aside: In working with amateur groups for many years, I believe it would be very helpful for a foundation to set aside 10 to 20 grants of no more than $500 each to fund amateur group events (local guest artists, guest conductors, etc.). However, until I win the lottery, I can only lobby for such an idea to be implemented.

So, instead, I try to help by blogging about all the different community music groups in the area, in an attempt to generate interest and attendance at those events. Once a person has attended a concert or an event, they can determine if they wish to donate to the group to keep it thriving.

The end goal is to keep the good amateur groups growing, which will bring interest in attending events by the semi-pro groups (Waukesha, Racine, and Kenosha Symphony Orchestras as examples). That will in turn help boost attendance at the MSO concerts and keep our Symphony Orchestra world class. (When I travel on business, I always check to see if a classical concert is scheduled while I am in that city. I have been lucky to see a number of orchestras in a number of different cities. Our MSO is better than most of them! We are very blessed!)

And that's why I post every week!