Milwaukee Community Music Blog

Ever have one of those days?

2008-05-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

I just got through one of those weeks. And I did not get to prepare a post on community bands because of it. But one of the episodes I had this week has to do with the final two Knightwind Ensemble concerts. So, here's one example of the week's fun!

Many of you know that I help out the Knightwind Ensemble. One of my duties is to rent a truck to move percussion equipment to our concerts. So, back in April I reserved trucks for both our Senior Home concert and the Memorial Day Pops concert. I was assured there would be no problem. Then last week went nuts and everything seemed to be going wrong. I decided that I would call and confirm the truck rentals just to be sure.

Turns out that the national phone number I called passed the rental reservation to the local company just fine. The Senior Home concert will be smooth. However, I also found out that the local company is not open on Memorial Day. The reservation was on their books but they would be closed. They suggested I call the national number again.

The person at the national number took the information and promised me that someone would call back within two hours. Then she gave me the phone number to call in case I missed their call. That was 3 days ago...still no call. But thanks to the person who gave me their number. I get to hassle them tomorrow. At least I have a week to get this straightened out before Memorial Day. With apologies to Linda Ellerbee, "and so it goes".

On another note, Summer band concert season is just around the corner. I'll be logging a few of the festivities right here. If you know of summer band concerts, post them in a reply and we can all enjoy them! Thanks.

Upcoming Concert: Memorial Day Pops Concert

2008-05-10T16:59:00.001-07:00

Coming up on Monday May 26th is the Milwaukee County Zoo's 19th Annual Memorial Day Pops concert presented by the Knightwind Ensemble. The concert begins at 1 PM at the Peck Welcome Center on the Zoo grounds. The concert is free with your Zoo admission.

Milwaukee's Knightwind Ensemble plays newer (and harder) music at their formal concerts in November and March. However, every Memorial Day they perform "an old fashioned band concert in the park," except that the park is the Milwaukee County Zoo, and the setting is the Peck Welcome Center, just behind the penguins as you enter the Zoo. Memorial Day weather varies greatly from year to year, but the concert setting in the Welcome Center is always dry and nice. And surprisingly, the sound in the hall is very good.

This year Maestro John Steinke has pulled out some evergreen favorites for the concert, including The Peanut Vendor, Baby Elephant Walk, the Floyd Wherle arrangement of Fandango, a medley of Irish tunes, and music from the Broadway Show Gypsy.

In observance of Memorial Day, the Ensemble closes the concert with their Salute To The Armed Forces, a medley of all five of the service hymns (can you name all five service branches?). Maestro Steinke always requests veterans to stand when their service hymn is played and be recognized by the audience. It is a special way to end a concert....and a season. For once the Pops concert is concluded, the Knightwind Ensemble breaks for the summer. Many members play with summer municipal bands in their home towns.

Bring your Holiday weekend to a musical conclusion by taking in the Knightwind Ensemble, and enjoying a day at the Zoo. And stop by and say hello. I'll be the Knightwind Roadie For The Day, hauling the percussion equipment and driving the truck. You'll see me setting up and taking down equipment.

Upcoming concert: Menomonee Falls Symphony

2008-05-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Menomonee Falls Symphony Orchestra, a community orchestra in the Milwaukee Area, will present The Many Faces of Vienna on Saturday May 17th at 7:30 PM in the auditorium at North Junior High School in Menomonee Falls. The special guest will be the Orchestra's Young Artist Winner, Britt Johnson.

Every spring, the Menomonee Falls Symphony holds auditions for promising young musicians. Not only does the winner receive a scholarship, they also perform with the orchestra at the last concert of the season. This years winner, Britt Johnson, is a freshman at Colombia University in New York. Her musical studies are at the Manhattan School of Music. She graduated from Neenah High School summa cum laude last year, where she was also an all conference / state swimmer. She will perform the first movement from Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto.

The rest of the concert will feature a variety of music associated with Vienna. Strauss waltzes will be featured in Tales from the Vienna Woods. A more modern approach to Vienna can be seen in Schoenberg's Five Pieces for Orchestra. The concert concludes with Beethoven's Symphony Number Seven.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for Seniors, and $6 for Students. For more information, please see the Orchestra's web site http://my.execpc.com/~regent/mfso.htm, or call 262-679-0779.

An Upcoming Audition and Something completely different

2008-04-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

Audition news from the Milwaukee Festival Brass

Mark May 23rd on your calendar. The Milwaukee Festival Brass will hold auditions for adults wishing to be on their sub list, but there are immediate openings in the group for Bb tuba and Eb tuba. Also included will be auditions for the Milwaukee Festival Brass High School Apprentice Program. This is a new program and looks to be a wonderful way for high school musicians to gain more experience. See the Milwaukee Festival Brass web site for more details: http://www.mfbrass.org/.

A different type of Community Music Group

There is a community music group based in Appleton that is different from all of the groups I've written about before. The group is the Fox Valley Horns, all french horns all the time! The group is made up of many middle and high school students, as well as adults. Everyone volunteers their time to make music, french horn style. I think this group is special because it allows those just starting out on the horn to play with more accomplished and experienced horn players. Everyone has fun...and that's what music should be!

The Fox Valley Horns have a concert coming up on Saturday May 10th at 1 PM in the Bethany Lutheran Church, 520 West Parkway, in Appleton. The featured soloist is Bruce Atwell, professor of Horn at UW Oshkosh. He will perform Jimmy Van Heusen's Here's That Rainy Day. Also on the program is Norwegian Suite, arranged by Cynthia Carr, a former professor of Horn at Lawrence University. The featured piece is an arrangement of the 1812 Overture for Horn Choir. This will be a fun concert and I encourage everyone to attend.

I heard a great story about how the Horn Choir was able to get the music for the 1812 Overture. Last year the Horn Choir performed an arrangement of music from the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves for horns. The performance was captured on video and posted on YouTube. It turns out that a horn choir in Japan saw this and posted their performance of the 1812 Overture as well. Don Krause, the director of the Horn Choir, contacted the group in Japan to find out where they got the music. Turns out that the arranger is in Florida and was kind enough to send the music to Don. And so it goes...

Groups like this are special in my view. Everyone enjoys themselves, good music is made, and young students learn a bunch. It doesn't get any better than this.

See you on the 10th.

It doesn't happen that often

2008-04-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

It's always a number of years between their concerts here in Milwaukee...

Last Friday, April 11th, marked a return visit by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. They performed both Friday night and Saturday afternoon in conjunction with MENC: The National Association for Music Educators conference. We attended the Friday concert and I saw representatives from many community bands around the Milwaukee area: the Knightwind Ensemble, Milwaukee American Legion Band, Milwaukee Concert Band, the Racine Concert Band, and the Milwaukee Festival Brass. And I'm sure that other bands from the area were also represented in the audience.

I've been lucky enough to see the Marine Band perform 4 or 5 times, and I am always impressed by the quality of their performances. No, I take that back: I am blown away by their performances. They may very well be the best symphonic band in the world.

Let me just list as few observations about the performance. The ensemble work is unbelievably clean. This was evident in the performance of Shostakovich's Festive Overture, the Grainger Children's March, and Respighi's Roman Festivals. I was also amazed at the differences in dynamics. There were times when we had to lean forward (from the balcony) to hear the music played at pp, while we were blown away when they played fff. Some of my goosebumps had goosebumps.

There was no downside to the concert, but there was a downside to the audience. The program included the world premiere of Scamp by Melinda Wagner. It is a very interesting piece, mischievious in nature but a lot of fun to listen to (and a bear to play, I bet). Unfortunately, a couple of former Marines in the row in front of us were not interested in the music and were discussing something among themselves. The piece was tough enough to listen to, as there was so much going on, without having to tune out conversation as well. They just did not realize that this part of the program was aimed at the MENC conventioneers (and a few members of community bands in the audience), not at former Marines. What a shame.

Their performance of Respighi's Roman Festivals brought the audience to their feet. After a well deserved standing ovation and a few curtain calls, the Band performed the most appropriate encore: The Marine Hymn.

An evening doesn't get any better than that.

Waukesha Area Symphonic Band Concert April 25

2008-04-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

The Waukesha Area Symphonic Band under the direction of Rick Kirby will present a special concert on Friday April 25th at the Shattuck Auditorium on the campus of Carroll College. The concert will feature the winner of the 2008 WASB Concerto Competition, trumpeter Brandon Viliunas. The concert will also benefit Waukesha's Adaptive Community Approach Program. More on that later.

Brandon Viliunas is a Senior at Greendale High School and has been playing the trumpet for 8 years. He has performed with the UWM Youth Wind Symphony and the MYSO Senior Symphony. At Greendale, he participates in jazz band, concert band, pit orchestra, marching band, and pep band. He is a member of the National Honor Society and participates on the Tennis Team for Greendale High School. He'll perform Herbert Clarke's variations on Carnival of Venice.

The concert program, Music From The Silver Screen, will include the Prelude from the 49th Parallel of Vaughn-Williams, music from Porgy and Bess, and swashbuckler music by Antonin Dvorak and John Williams.

WASB has been performing an annual benefit concert for a local charity for a number of years. This year the concert will benefit Waukesha's Adaptive Community Approach Program, which serves adults with physical disabilities in Waukesha County. They support a wide variety of programs from graffiti effacing to lawn and garden work to meal cooking. Certainly a worthwhile recipient.

Tickets are $10 and are available at the door. For more information, please call 262-370-6129.

Did you ever wonder?

2008-04-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Were you ever curious about what happens behind the scenes at a concert? The Knightwind Ensemble concert was Sunday (and went very well, thank you). My job on concert day is all of the things that happen in the lobby. I thought I would list a few of the interesting things that happened this weekend.

Saturday - We picked up the rental truck (to transport all of the percussion equipment) and had to replan our weekend when the rental company told us they no longer allow off-hour truck returns. Took a while, but we were able to complete the change in 3 people's schedules to comply with this surprise (never had that problem before). The dress rehearsal went very well.

Sunday - Arrived at the concert hall and set up the ticket table. We had about 12 to 15 sets of tickets held at Will Call. The good news is that almost all of them were picked up. Even though it was a nice day, we had a good number of "at the door" sales. So far, so good.

Once the concert was underway, I had to change the lobby to the intermission layout, so that people could congregate and visit. We could show off our commendation from the Milwaukee County Board and promote our Friends group.

One of my duties on concert day is to address the audience before the second half begins and alert them to our different fund raising programs. That also went well. The audience laughed in the right places. At the end of my presentation I invited people to stop by and view the Sudler Silver Scroll, the International Award from the Sousa Foundation that we received in 2005. This time three people stopped by to take a look after the concert, including a grade school student just starting in her school band. That's always nice.

After intermission, I set the lobby for people to pass by two of our fund raising programs on their way out. We ask the audience to help us buy new music and we place an old field drum on the table near the center of the lobby. Setting that up quietly is sometimes a challenge!

After the concert, one very nice lady complemented my side burns....that doesn't happen every day!

Just one other note: I was able to hear only one piece of music because of all the activity in preparing the lobby.

Now, wasn't that a fun way to spend a day?

Rehearsal Notes - Part 2 and a Special Deal

2008-04-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

My last post described a number of pieces being rehearsed for the Knightwind Ensemble concert coming up this Sunday April 6th at 3 PM in the Schwan Concert Hall at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Here's an update from last night's rehearsal.

The ensemble performed the concert end to end last night. It is really coming together well. Saturday's dress rehearsal in the concert hall will give everyone the chance to hear what it will sound like for the concert on Sunday. There were two pieces that I did not mention in the last post that were rehearsed last night.

The Dam Busters - This English march is really very nice. The group has this one in hand and it will provide a nice start to the second half.

The Suite from Robin Hood, Price of Thieves - This work is a concert suite of the music from the Kevin Costner movie. Lots of drama, as in all movie music. The horn and trumpet parts are really tough, and the group performed them very well last night. Lots of goose bumps to finish the second half of the concert.

The encore - I won't tell you what the piece is, but I will tell you that it is a new arrangement of a very familiar work by a very famous composer. You'll just have to attend the concert to hear this - its great!

The Man Who Invented Music - Again, the piece was rehearsed with our guest narrator, Mr. Norman Moses. The timing is now coming together and the flow was wonderful. I was able to find an old recording of this work that the group performed 20 years ago, and the current performance is light years ahead of that performance. What a delightful piece.

SPECIAL DEAL

Print this blog posting and bring it to the concert on Sunday and you will receive $1 off every adult admission in your group as a Thank You for reading the Milwaukee Community Music blog!

Rehearsal Notes and Reminders

2008-03-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Even though my posts are about different community music groups in general, I volunteer time to the Knightwind Ensemble. And one or twice a concert season, I like to post a report on what is happening in the rehearsals as the group prepares for a concert. This is one such post.

The Knightwind Ensemble has been rehearsing for the Heroes concert since mid-January. I've been watching the progress on the music since then and it is amazing to see it come together. Here's some thoughts on the different pieces as they were rehearsed.

Olympic Fanfare - This John Williams piece from the 1984 Olympics is one of my favorites. It is a tough piece to play, but a really tough piece to play well. Every section needs to focus on blending into the whole to make the piece work. But there were a number of spots in the rehearsal that the goose bumps appeared....definitely starting to work. This will be a great way to begin the concert.

Sinfonia Hungarica - The feature piece is very difficult, but the group is getting over the hurdle of the notes and is working on the music. The Arpad movement begins in a dream mood, and in the rehearsal the woodwinds and percussion created a very eerie sound....really neat. There is also a more war-like section, driving and pulsating, but the sounds are unexpected and surprising...a very cool effect. The Istvan movement ends with the strains of the National Hymn of Hungary, a truly majestic finish. You have to hear this piece. I only wish that the first movement from this symphony, dedicated to Attila the Hun, was available to complete the concert. I guess the Ensemble will have to perform all three at a later concert once we are able to purchase Attila.

The Man Who Invented Music - This is a delightful piece, telling the story through the narrator of how Grandfather was able to get little Wendy to sleep: by telling her the story of how he invented music. The other rehearsals worked through the music as best as could be done without the narrator. However, our special guest Norman Moses was able to attend the rehearsal. After spending some time going over sections and details, the group performed the piece beginning to end. Wow! This will be a wonderfully fun piece at the concert. Mr. Moses did a great job narrating the story. What a difference when someone with Theater background is added to the ensemble!

William Tell Overture - The group ran through this one with no stops, but since it had been rehearsed heavily earlier, the sound was very nice. A lot of work was done earlier in the storm section, when different sections come together all playing sixteenth notes. Everyone has to concentrate on blending or the music sounds muddy. But the sounds came through clearly. Obviously this will be an audience favorite, but the attention to detail is already there.

I'm hoping to be able to report on the other pieces next week.

REMINDERS

The Milwaukee Festival Brass is having their Open Rehearsal on Tuesday April 1st. If you'd like to bring your horn and sit in with a British style Brass Band, here's your opportunity. See their web site for all the details: http://www.mfbrass.org/.

And don't forget the Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band is performing Sunday March 30 at 3 PM in the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College.

Hot News!

2008-03-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

KNIGHTWIND ENSEMBLE ANNOUNCES SPECIAL GUEST

The Knightwind Ensemble will welcome a special guest at its concert, Heroes, on Sunday April 6th at the Schwan Concert Hall at Wisconsin Lutheran College at 3 PM. The Ensemble will perform Don Gillis' composition The Man Who Invented Music. The Ensemble is proud to announce that Norman Moses, one of Milwaukee's favorite actors, will narrate the story. This delightful piece is a musical depiction of Grandfather telling Wendy a bedtime story, the story of how he invented music. Mr. Moses will surely bring his unique flair to the part.

Mr. Moses has been an actor/singer/director in the Milwaukee area for the past 30 years and has performed with such companies as the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Goodman Theatre, Skylight Opera Theatre, Chamber Theatre, Next Act Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, the Dayton Philharmonic and the Buffalo Philharmonic. In addition, he has been in hundreds of commercials and industrial films, as an on-screen and voice-over talent. In his spare time, of which there is little, he prepares tax returns for fellow performing artists in and around the Milwaukee area. He makes his home in Milwaukee with his wife, Carrie, and daughter, Kelsey.

WAUKESHA AREA SYMPHONIC BAND NEWS

I received word from the Waukesha Area Symphonic Band about their upcoming concert, set for Friday evening April 25 at 7:30 in the Shattuck Auditorium on the campus of Carroll College. This special concert, entitled Music From The Silver Screen, will benefit the Adaptive Community Approach Program, a Waukesha non-profit serving people with disabilities. Featured will be the winner of the Concerto Competition, trumpeter Brandon Viliunas. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. For more information, you can call 262-370-6129. I hope to have information on some of the music on the program for a future post.

Some smaller items

2008-03-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

Reminder

The Milwaukee Festival Brass concert celebrating Irish Fest this Sunday the 16th at the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College (roughly 88th and Wisconsin) at 3 PM. See the web site for all the details: http://www.mfbrass.org/. Come and enjoy the Luck Of The Irish. And don't forget a donation of food for the Hunger Task Force.

An Open Rehearsal

Speaking of the Milwaukee Festival Brass, they will be hosting an "open rehearsal", so that people, who are interested in playing with the group but not really sure it is for them, can "test drive" the group to see if they will enjoy playing with the MFB. Here's what director Pat Backhaus has to say about the "open rehearsal":

April 1st (no foolin') is Milwaukee Festival Brass' annual open rehearsal. Any and all brass and percussion players are invited to sit in with the band to test drive what the brass band experience is all about. Some music will be available in the American brass format for players not yet skilled in the all-treble clef British brass band tradition. There is no cost, but MFB requests that anyone interested RSVP to their manager at Manager@mfbrass.org

United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay – Fellowship Hall (lower level)
819 E Silver Spring Dr; Whitefish Bay WI 53209
Rehearsal 7:30 to 9:30.
BRING A STAND.

So, if you'd like to try a British Style Brass Band with no commitment, here's your opportunity!

A Knightwind Rehearsal Blog

One of the members of the Knightwind Ensemble is blogging about her experiences during rehearsals for the upcoming concert. Actually, our Knightwind Girl has been blogging since the beginning of rehearsals for the concert last November. You can get some insight into what the rehearsals are like, what areas of the music need work, and most importantly, what cracks up members the most! If you've ever played in a music group, maybe the high school band during summer competition or a drum corps or even a summer community orchestra, you know that rehearsals can have moments of laughter and moments of quiet misery. While the Knightwind Girl's blog is not a soap opera, it does touch on what rehearsals are like; the good as well as the bad.

So spend a moment reading the Musical Musings of one Knightwind Girl at http://www.knightwindmilwaukee.blogspot.com/. If you played in a group years ago, it will bring back a flood of memories. And if you've never played in a group, it will bring some insight into what it takes to put a performance together. Enjoy!

Knightwind Ensemble Upcoming Concert - Part 2

2008-03-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

In the last post I mentioned a few of the pieces on the Knightwind Ensemble's upcoming concert Heroes, on Sunday April 6th at 3 PM. In this post, I'll write about the feature piece by Jan van der Roost: Sinfonia Hungarica.

The History of Hungary

Sinfonia Hungarica is a three movement symphony written in celebration of Hungary's millennium, celebrated in 2001. It's premiere took place on March 31, 2001 in Budapest, performed by the Symphonic Band Kinskunfelegyhaza (the commissioning band) and was conducted by the composer. The three movements were inspired by key historical figures, wars, and other important events. It is, literally, a history of Hungary set to music.

Unfortunately, because only the last two of the three movements of the symphony were available, the Ensemble will not be able to perform the first movement, based on Attila, the King of the Huns. For the record, the movement is characterized by fear, threat, aggression, and cruelty. The exciting ending illustrates the speed of Attila's army, as they pursued their victims and killed them. One might also argue that music based on Attila the Hun should not appear on a concert dedicated to Heroes. However, I'm sure this exciting music will turn up on a future concert.

The Ensemble will perform the second movement, which focuses on Arpad, the founder of the Hungarian State. It begins in a dreamlike state, evoking his grandmother Emese, who dreamed of his future destination. One of Arpad's opponents, the Bulgarian Prince Zalan, was chased away after a fight. After this, Arpad officially named the territory Magyarorszag.

The final movement is named after Istvan, the King of Hungary who introduced Christianity into Hungary, and who was crowned by Pope Silvestro II on January 1, 1001. A solemn start leads to a war-like passage ending in loud crashes. This symbolizes the fact that the body of the pagan Koppany was cut into four pieces and sent to the four castles of the country as an example. After a quiet intermezzo, the National Hymn of Hungary is introduced. This broad gradioso ending also has a symbolic meaning: after 10 centuries, Hungary has many reasons to look back on its past with pride, and to look to the future with optimism and confidence.

It should be noted that the national hymn actually appears throughout the entire symphony. It is used as a thread, often hidden or partially hidden, hardly recognizable at the beginning and becoming more and more obvious near the end. It concludes the symphony as a final apotheoisis, making the band sound like a majestic living organ.

Even though this piece is very difficult, it is very listenable. The Ensemble is rehearsing the piece very hard, and the results are amazing. You will enjoy this piece. Again, Heroes will be presented on Sunday April 6th at 3 PM in the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. For more information, see the Knightwind Ensemble web site: http://www.knightwind.org/.

And Don't Forget

The Milwaukee Festival Brass performs on Sunday March 16th at 3 PM, also in the Schwan Concert Hall, featuring Irish music. It is guaranteed to be great fun! And don't forget to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Hunger Task Force!

Concert Preview - Knightwind Ensemble April 6

2008-02-28T06:09:00.001-08:00

The upcoming concert by the Knightwind Ensemble is set for April 6th at 3 PM in the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. The theme of the concert is Heroes, and the selections will include musical portraits of heroes, some real, some imaginary, some specific, and some general.

Heroes of Hungary

The feature piece of the concert is Sinfonia Hungarica, written by Jan van der Roost. This three movement symphony depicts the history of Hungary itself. Because this piece is so special, I'll devote a post to it in the next few weeks.

Teams of Heroes

Also on the program is a concert march by Englishman Eric Coates and used in the in the 1954 British War Film The Dam Busters. It turns out that the march was written by Mr. Coates before he received the call from the producers of the movie. He wanted to produce a march in the Elgarian form, along the lines of the Pomp and Circumstance marches. After hearing about the film, he thought that the march he just completed could be used...and it was.

Saluting modern heroes, the Ensemble will perform John Williams' Olympic Fanfare and Theme, written for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In an interview in 1992, Mr. Williams stated that his music was intended to musically represent "the spirit of cooperation, of heroic achievement, all the striving and preparation that go before the events and all the applause that comes after them." It is still an audience favorite today.

Specific Heroes

The Ensemble will also salute specific heroes. The first piece in that vein will be the music from the 1991 motion picture Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner with music by Michael Kamen. The music is dramatic, difficult, and very enjoyable for both the audience and the performers. Milwaukee's Paul Lavender created this arrangement of the music.

The Ensemble also salutes a very important fictional hero by performing the Don Gillis work The Man Who Invented Music. This delightful work mixes music and storytelling, with the narrator taking the role of Grandpa, telling his granddaughter Wendy how he invented music. It is guaranteed to make you smile.

Finally, the Ensemble will perform an evergreen favorite: the Overture to William Tell by Rossini. Whether you believe William Tell was real or fictional, this Eric Leidzen arrangement of the Rossini favorite is wonderful.

In an upcoming post, I'll go over the movements of the Sinfonia Hungarica, Stay tuned!

Upcoming Concert by the Milwaukee Festival Brass

2008-02-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

The Milwaukee Festival Brass, the only British-style brass band in our area, performs their annual Festival concert, The Luck Of The Irish, on Sunday March 16th at 3 PM in the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. Music Director, Dr. Pat Backhaus, describes the concert this way.

Our March Concert is always a Festival program where we salute one of ethnic festivals, since we are the Milwaukee Festival Brass. This year we salute Irish Fest. We'll be doing a great Irish march Bravest of the Brave. There's a fun piece with a nod to the very popular Irish dance craze of the past decade or so. It's called Celtic Rock. Of course we could hardly do a program of this nature without doing The Irish Washerwoman, which will feature our trombone section.

Lonna Brooks, our solo tenor horn player will be featured on She's Like the Swallow, arranged by Jim Curnow. Our featured work is Music for a Festival by Philip Sparke. The band enjoys his compositions very much. I'm doing a totally non-Irish solo in Demare's Cleopatra - a classic cornet chestnut. And there will be some fun and surprises along the way too.

We always partner with the Hunger Task Force on this concert, so concertgoers should bring a non-perishable food item.

If you are not familiar with the music of Philip Sparke, he writes very enjoyable music to listen to, but a real bear to play well. His music is always a challenge for the performers, but always fun for the audience.

This is a concert you should not miss. And don’t forget to bring your food donation for the Hunger Task Force.

Your Help Is Needed

2008-02-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

In the last post I discussed a number of different reasons that community music groups need financial support. Very few groups are able to get all of their support from agencies or programs. In fact, there are a number of groups in the Milwaukee area that must raise 100% of the funds they need to continue operating...and they do it. In this post I'll mention a number of different fund raising efforts by different groups in the area. Hopefully you can assist one or more of these groups. And certainly, all of these groups thank you in advance for your consideration of their efforts.

Music, Instruments and More

The Milwaukee Festival Brass, Milwaukee 's only British-style brass band, has a number of different opportunities for you to consider. First, they have a list of music that they would like to add to their library, and they would be very happy if you were kind enough to purchase one for them. Second, they are raising funds for new percussion instruments (which are quite expensive in and of themselves). Third, they include advertising in their concert programs. Fourth, the band participates in the We Care program at Pick'N'Save. Their next performance is Sunday March 16th when they salute Irish music (more on that concert in an upcoming post). There are lots of ways to assist the Milwaukee Festival Brass and they are listed on the web site: http://www.mfbrass.org/.

Advertising and Friendship

The Knightwind Ensemble, awarded the Sudler Silver Scroll in 2005 by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation, is Milwaukee 's premier community music group. The spring concert program book is their biggest fund raising effort for the year. Businesses can advertise in the book and individuals can add their names to the Patrons page, both at very low prices. If you purchase a full page ad (at $100), you'll receive two tickets to the concert on April 6th entitled Heroes as a thank you gift. See the web site for an ad form and more information: http://www.knightwind.org/.

The Knightwind Ensemble also has a Friends organization. Being a Friend brings you a newsletter published before each concert, as well as invitations to meet the guest artists after the concert. Again, see the web site for more information.

Your Help Is Crucial

The issue of fund raising is not one that many groups wish to aggressively discuss. Their main goal is to play music for appreciative audiences. However, in today's world, if the fund raising is not successful, the group will fold. Costs continue to rise, and different programs that fund community groups continue to be cut. The community groups find different ways to contribute to the quality of life of the community, and it is fitting that we find ways to contribute to their fund raising efforts. After all, we all want them to survive!

One issue for almost all community music groups

2008-02-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

One issue that lies below the surface for Community Music groups is the issue of funding, an extremely important issue but one that is not always talked about openly. Some groups are sponsored (all or in part) by a municipal recreation department or by the mayor's office. For them, they must raise funds that are not covered through their connection to the municipal budget. However, there are many groups in the Milwaukee area that are completely independent. They are incorporated as 501(c)3 organizations and are registered charities within the State of Wisconsin. They must raise all of their funds in order to continue operating. This post discusses some of the major areas of expense for a Community Music group to give you an idea of what goes on behind the scenes. In the next post, I'll write about some of the fund raising efforts by different music groups in the area, what they do to raise the funds needed to operate the group, and how you can help them.

Costs related to Music and Concerts

There are a number of items in this category for music groups. The most obvious cost is the rental of the concert venue. Some groups use High School Auditoriums or Gyms. Other groups use halls connected to a parks department or a government agency. Still others will rent a concert hall at a local college. In most cases, the Community Music Group must pay a fee for the use of the hall. At some locations, they must pay additional fees for tech help to control the lighting and sound systems, ushers, chairs, music stands, grand piano, etc. There are very few Community Music groups that perform concerts without the cost of the concert venue on their budgets. And, of course, the nicer the concert hall, the more expensive it is to rent.

A second major expense for Community Music groups is the cost of new music. Over the last five to ten years, that cost has jumped. Years ago, a major piece of music would be priced in the hundreds of dollars range. In today's market, a major work is now priced at hundreds of dollars per movement. For a piece of three or four movements, the cost of the entire piece can play havoc on a community group's budget. On the other hand, without new music to play, both the audiences and the volunteer members will tire of the same music concert to concert. And so, many Community Music groups work to find creative ways to fund the purchase of new music.

Costs related to the operation of the group

Another cost the groups incur is the cost of storage and rehearsing. Many groups rehearse at schools and churches, but very few groups do so at no cost. Besides using a large room for rehearsing, the percussion instruments (many, like tympani and chimes, tend to be quite large) and the music library must be stored year round. With the cost of heating and cooling skyrocketing, many churches and schools have had to raise the rents of Community Music groups, further straining the budget.

A large expense is liability insurance. This insurance is required by many concert and rehearsal locations before they will consider allowing a group to use their facilities (regardless of any rent being charged for the facility use). As a result, most if not all Community Music groups have libility insurance. It should be noted that most venues for concerts require proof of a one million dollar policy being in force before they will allow their facility to be used.

An annual charge for copyright fees is another cost that is incurred. Without the fee being paid, the Community Music group can be shut down. While this fee is not huge, it is still a good percentage of a group's budget.

Finally, many groups provide small stipends for the Music Director and the Music Librarian. Some groups also fund a managerial position. In reality, these amounts are very small compensation for jobs that take much time. However, these costs do add up and they become a good percentage of the group's budget.

The vast majority of people participating in a Community Music group volunteer their time and efforts for the good of the organization, to contribute to their community, and for their own enjoyment. There are some organizations in which everyone volunteers their time. However, even those groups will still have expenses as noted above.

Next time...

In the next post, I'll go over some specific fund raising efforts of different groups in the Milwaukee area, and how you can help.

Take Two

2008-02-03T06:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new home of the Milwaukee Community Music blog. The blog has been in place since the beginning of the 2007-08 season on another hosting site, but it was recently gagged and edited by the hosting site because of advertising (the site forbids advertising). What I learned was that, in their mind, listing the different concert dates and locations for community bands and orchestras in the Milwaukee area was considered advertising. I felt that the best way to pass on information about community music groups was to include concert information, and so I had to move the blog to this hosting site which allows concert dates.

Some of the information that was removed from the post included the concert calendar for the spring. I've rebuilt most of that calendar and will post it here for all. Unfortunately I had a brain cramp and did not have a backup copy of the calendar, so please add any missed dates in your comments. Together we'll have a more complete Milwaukee Community Music Calendar.

February

8th and 9th: The Menomonee Falls Symphony present their annual concert / dinner at the Silver Spring Country Club. This year's theme is Neopolitan Love, featuring Italian music. Dinner service begins at 6:30 PM. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Delores Chrzan at 262-679-0779.

March

16th: The Milwaukee Festival Brass presents The Luck of the Irish at 3 PM at the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. More on this concert in a future post.
30th: The Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band presents Look To The Sky, at 3 PM also at Schwan Hall, Wisconsin Lutheran College.

April

5th: The Lakeshore Symphonic Band performs at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center at 7:30 PM
6th: The Knightwind Ensemble, the area's only community band awarded the Sudler Silver Scroll by the Sousa Foundation, presents Heroes at the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. Much more on this concert in a future post.

May

18th: The Lakeshore Symphonic Band performs at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center at 7:00 PM.
26th: The Knightwind Ensemble performs its annual Memorial Day Pops concert at the Milwaukee County Zoo's Peck Welcome Center at 1 PM.
26th: The Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band performs a special Memorial Day concert at Memorial Hall at the Milwaukee War Memorial

June

7th: The Milwaukee Festival Brass performs Prime Time Brass at the Whitefish Bay United Methodist at 7:30. More on this concert in a future post.

And there you have it...a nice calendar of Community Music Events for this spring ready for your referigerator door!

And so, the Milwaukee Community Music blog is back up and running. Comments welcome!

Milwaukee Community Music Blog

2008-01-30T06:57:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Milwaukee Community Band Blog. The purpose of this blog is to support all of the volunteers working with community music groups in the Greater Milwaukee Area. I'll be posting concert dates, information about joining community music groups, and ways to help these groups continue to contribute to the quality of life in the Milwaukee area.

In the next day or two, I'll post the list of community music concerts coming up in the next few months. If you have events for a community music group in the Milwauke area, post a comment.