Breaking news and good news

First the breaking news.  One of the premier bands in the nation will perform at Shattuck Auditorium on the campus of Carroll University on Thursday February 6, beginning at 7:30.  The St. Olaf Band, under the direction of Dr. Timothy Mahr, will perform with the Youth Wind Orchestra of Wisconsin.  I have received only a little information about the concert, so I cannot give you a preview of the music.  However, the St. Olaf Band is one of the nation's best.  The New Yorker wrote that the St. Olaf Band is “one of America’s preeminent bands”.  You certainly do not want to miss this concert.  For more information, or to order tickets, check the St. Olaf Tickets web site or call 1-800-363-5487.

And now the good news.  Last summer I wrote about the funding issue with the Racine Concert Band.  The City of Racine is, like all other local governments, having an issue with funding all of its different programs.  In the initial budget proposal from the mayor, the Racine Concert Band was cut from the budget.  But it turns out that in the final budget that was adopted, the Band did receive reduced funding. 

The budget cut brought about two things.  First, the concerts during the school year, in which the Racine Concert Band joined the High School Bands at Horlick, Park, and Case, had to be cancelled for this current school year in order to continue the summer series of concerts.  Second, the Racine Concert Band itself is working to develop new sources of funding.  This development is now just beginning.

The summer season will happen in Racine in 2014.  Great news!

More as this moves forward. 

Concert Preview - Menomonee Falls Symphony Valentines Dinner Concerts

One nice annual event is the Dinner Concert performed by the Menomonee Falls Symphony, always scheduled near Valentines Day, and featuring light orchestral and Pops music.  This year, the concerts will again be held at the Silver Spring Country Club on Friday February 14th and Saturday February 15th beginning at 6:30.

The concert will feature special guests Kostia Efimov and Ellen Winters.  Mr. Efimov is a classical and jazz pianist - MFSO fans may remember that he performed with the Darrell Stuermer band for the Music of Genesis concert.  Ellen Winters provides vocals for their review of American Songbook favorites.  And of course, the duo is backed by the full, lush sound of the Menomonee Falls Symphony Orchestra.

The evening features good food, good music, and some fun raffles.  Each section of the orchestra puts together different baskets and items that can be won with a lucky ticket.  The proceeds help support the orchestra.  And the Silver Spring Country Club in February is beautiful to view from the warmth of the banquet hall.  All in all, a wonderful evening that support a great cause!

Tickets are $45 per person.  You can get tickets via mail order from the MFSO web site.  Note that tickets must be purchased in advance and that, in previous years, the dinner concerts have sold out.  So, get your order in the mail right away.  You don't want to miss this one.

Concert Preview - Concord Chamber Orchestra

The Concord Chamber Orchestra will present a concert of chamber music on Sunday January 26th at Nicolet High School.  The concert begins at 1:30 PM.

Different sections of the orchestra have put together some wonderful music for a Sunday afternoon.  Included on the concert will be music for these groupings of instruments:

• cello quartet
• woodwind quintet
• string sextet
• viola duet
• woodwind sextet
• trombone quartet

The groups will perform varied music, from Mozart and Brahms to Cole Porter and Vince Guaraldi.  An intriguing mixture to be sure!

Tickets can be purchased from the Concord Chamber Orchestra web site or at the door.

Note that the concert is scheduled early enough that you won't miss the NFL Pro Bowl that day!

The New Year is here!

And so is the cold!  In fact, the cold weather froze my brain and I am late in posting the second half calendar.  But, better late than never.  Here it is.

January

·         Sun.  26  1:30 Concord Chamber Orchestra at Nicolet High School performing Chamber Music

February
·         Sun.   2  3:00 Knightwind Ensemble at South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center
·         Fri.  14  6:30 Menomonee Falls Symphony at Silver Spring Country Club performing Lounging with Lovers
·         Fri.  15  6:30 Menomonee Falls Symphony at Silver Spring Country Club performing Lounging with Lovers

March

·         Sun.  2  4:00 Lakeshore Symphonic Band at Cedarburg Performing Arts Center
·         Sat.   8   7:00 Milwaukee Festival Brass at Wisconsin Lutheran College performing Brass At Night
·         Tue.  18  7:30 Wauwatosa Community Band at Longfellow Middle School
·         Sat.  22  8:00 Concord Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, performing Beethoven's Eroica Symphony

April

·         Sun.   6  3:00 Knightwind Ensemble at South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center
·         Sun.  13 3:00 Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band at Wisconsin Lutheran College

May

·         Fri.   2  7:30  Waukesha Area Symphonic Band at Carroll University featuring the winner of the Concerto Competition
·         Sat.  10  7:30 Menomonee Falls Symphony at Hamilton Fine Arts Center performing with Lona Luft featuring The Music of Judy Garland
·         Sat.  10  8:00 Concord Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
·         Sun.  11  4:00 Lakeshore Symphonic Band at Cedarburg Performing Arts Center featuring the winner of the Concerto Competition
·         Sun.  18  Milwaukee Festival Brass at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Brookfield performing Impressions of Japan
·         Mon.  26  4:00 Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band at Milwaukee County War Memorial performing a Memorial Day Observance
·         Mon.  26  TBA Wauwatosa Community Band performing a Memorial Day Observance