Sunday, March 27, 2011

Spring is here

At least on the calendar. As I write this, northern Wisconsin is under a Winter Storm Watch with a foot of snow predicted. I'm glad I go up there in the summer and not now!

And the calendar of concerts shows a few that are coming up. I wanted to bring them to your attention and convince you to attend at least one of the concerts.

There are two concerts on Sunday April 3rd. The Milwaukee Festival Brass perform at 3 PM at Wisconsin Lutheran College. The Knightwind Ensemble also performs at 3 PM but at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. If it makes a difference, I will be volunteering at the Knightwind Ensemble concert, selling tickets in the lobby before the concert. If you decide to attend, be sure to visit the Knightwind web site and print the page with the concert description, where you will receive $1 off every adult ticket in your party.

However, whichever concert of those you attend, you will enjoy a wonderful afternoon of music.

On April 17 at 7:30 PM, the Waukesha Area Symphonic Band will perform at Shattuck Auditorium at Carroll University in Waukesha. The concert will feature the winner of the February Concerto Competition.

Stay warm, think spring, and as Obie Yadgar used to say on WFMR, Find a Concert and Go To It!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Concert Announcement

I received information from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band announcing their upcoming concert. It will be held on Saturday April 2 at 7 PM in the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. Director Karen Lippert has chosen the concert theme Just Add Water. The concert will include a sprinkling of composers from Tchaikovsky to The Beatles. If you'd like more information, please email them at kmlippert@wi.rr.com.

There is also an interesting article online at bachelorsdegree.org reviewing 20 important benefits of music in our schools. In this time of budget cutting, these reasons are sometimes lost in the shuffle. Here is the link to the article.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Director Vacancy

I just received word that the Milwaukee Festival Brass is looking for a Music Director beginning next season. The MFB is Milwaukee's only British Style Brass Band. They have been under the direction of Dr. Patricia Backhaus for a number of years (sorry, I don't know just how many), and are much improved under her baton (and that I know from attending concerts over many years).

First, we all wish Dr. Pat the best in her new endeavors. Hopefully, I will be able to have a post in the near future with comments from Dr. Pat on those endeavors.

But the MFB needs help getting the word out to prospective brass band directors. All the details on the Music Director position, as well as the position of Music Director for the Milwaukee Festival Youth Brass (very possibly separate positions), are at the MFB web site: http://www.mfbrass.org/. If you are interested or even just curious, take a look. And if you know someone who would be interested, please pass this information on.

And one more thing: the MFB has two remaining concerts under Dr. Pat's baton: one on Sunday April 3 at 3 PM and the final concert on Saturday June 4 at 3 PM, both at Wisconsin Lutheran College. I think it would be great for Dr. Pat to receive a rousing audience for both concerts. Unfortunately, I have a conflict in April, but I've saved the June 4th date. I'll definitely be there!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Want to play in a group?

This time of year there is not a lot of news from the different community bands that I can post. A bit slow if you will. But I noticed that there are a few groups looking for members in the Milwaukee area.

I always scan the Auditions list in the Friday Journal-Sentinel Cue section just to see what is going on. Usually at this time of year, the listings are for theater groups. However, I saw listings for a number of community bands including the Milwaukee Concert Band and the Greendale Village Band. They are looking for help to finish the season as well as perform during the summer.

So, if you procrastinated and still haven't picked up the horn, you still have a chance to join a group. Take a look at the Auditions section to see if one might be right for you. You can also find out a lot about the community bands in Wisconsin by checking the Wisconsin Music Group page: http://my.execpc.com/~regent/

Time to get the chops back into playing shape!