Sunday, December 22, 2013

Merry Christmas

The preparations are nearly complete.  The big day approaches.  With it comes another manifestation of community music:  music at religious ceremonies.  If you attend such an event, take a moment to thank the musicians for bringing their talent to this season.  And a Blessed Christmas to all!

The blog will be back in January with a list of concerts for the second half of the season.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

The last event on the calendar

The last event on the calendar of community concerts is Saturday the 21st in Appleton.  Horns A Plenty Christmas begins at 3 PM.  This HAPC concert is special because Appleton is where the concert series was founded.  For all the details, you can check last week's posting or check the Horns A Plenty Christmas web site.

Hope to see you there!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Attention Horn Players in the Fox Valley

Horns A Plenty Christmas returns to the Appleton area on Saturday December 21 at the Fox Valley Lutheran High School.  Horn students of all ages are welcome to participate.

The afternoon begins with a Master Class featuring Dan Grabois, the Horn Professor at UW-Madison.  A rehearsal for all registered horn players will begin at 2 PM to quickly go over the music.  The concert begins at 3 PM and is open to the public.  The concert will also feature guest artists James Saunders and Dan Grabois.

This is a fantastic opportunity for horn students of any talent level.  The music is easy to play, the arrangements (many done by UW-Oshkosh Horn Professor Bruce Atwell) are wonderful.  Check the Horns A Plenty Christmas web site for registration forms and all the details.

For concert attendees, the concert is fun and the guest soloists are always amazing.  And the concert is free to attend.  If you enjoy the music, please make a donation to provide scholarships to deserving horn students.  I'll be there and I hope to see you there as well.

There are also five concerts in the Milwaukee area this week.  See the blog posting of November 17 for the details.  And take some time out of the busy schedule to enjoy the music of the season!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

The Holiday Music Season is here

While radio stations have been playing commercials with Christmas Music in the background, and at least one Milwaukee radio station is playing full-time Holiday music, the community music groups are preparing for their second concert of the season.  There are two concerts coming up that look very good.

The first is Saturday December 7 at 8 PM.  The Concord Chamber Orchestra will perform Hearts at the Basilica of St. Josephat, on 6th and Lincoln on Milwaukee's South Side.  Music Director Jamin Hoffman chose the name based on the concert theme for the annual choral spectacular "to celebrate both romance and the love that warms our hearts during the Christmas season!"

The concert includes music by Humperdinck, Mendelssohn, and Bach, and features the UW-Parkside Choirs, conducted by Dr. James Kinchen.  A wonderful way to begin the celebration of the season!  Tickets can be ordered from the web site or purchased at the door.

The second concert is the next afternoon, Sunday December 8 at 3 PM in the Hamilton Fine Arts Center in Sussex.  The Menomonee Falls Symphony will be joined by the adult and children choirs of Peace Lutheran Church and Academy in Caroling for Christmas.  Unfortunately, I do not have details of the program.  As with the previous concert, tickets can be ordered from the web site or purchased at the door.