Sunday, April 26, 2009

Last of the Spring Concerts

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.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

New Youth Group - Revisited

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!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Information on Summer Concerts

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!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Upcoming Waukesha Area Symphonic Band Concert

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.