News from the Menomonee Falls Symphony

Some may recall that last year at this time the Menomonee Falls Symphony was changing their spring concert programming at the last minute.  They had received word that their special guest, Ms. Lorna Luft, was unable to appear, as she was fighting breast cancer.  The MFSO put together a very nice concert and performed well.  The Lorna Luft concert was rescheduled for this year.

Fast forward to today:  If you watched the Oscar telecast, you saw Ms. Lorna Luft appear in a segment honoring her mother Judy Garland, and the 75th Anniversary of the film The Wizard of Oz.  She looked fabulous.  We also know that she has confirmed her appearance with the MFSO for Saturday evening May 10 at 7:30 PM in the Hamilton Fine Arts Center in Sussex.

The MFSO has the music and rehearsals have begun.  We are all looking forward to a great concert.  For more information or to order tickets, see the MFSO web site.

Concert coming up

Just a reminder this week that the Concord Chamber Orchestra will be presenting their third concert in this season's series based called In The Cards.  Each concert is dedicated to a suit in a deck of playing cards.  In this concert, Spades, the program features experimental or groundbreaking music

The CCO welcomes guest soloist Wyatt Underhill, the winner of the CCO annual Dorothy J. Oestreich Concerto competition.  He will be performing Mendelssohn's violin concerto. 

The program for the concert is:

• Three Hungarian Folksongs by Dennis Bathory-Kitsz
• "Solemn Processional" from Symphony No. 4 by Gustav Mahler
  arranged by Jamin Hoffman, dedicated to the memory of Ralph Lane 
• Violin concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 by Felix Mendelssohn
• Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”) by Ludwig van Beethoven

The concert will be performed at 8 PM on Saturday March 22 at St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1615 Wauwatosa Avenue in Wauwatosa.  For those who are familiar with the area, it is across the street from Wauwatosa East High School.

For more information or to buy tickets, please see the CCO web site.

Finally, there is a wonderful video on YouTube regarding the Horn Trio in Beethoven's Eroica.  You can find it here.  Take a look - it is wonderful.

Milwaukee Festival Brass concert reminder

This is the time when community groups are rehearsing, and there is no big news to report. 

So, just a reminder to take in the Milwaukee Festival Brass concert on Saturday March 8th at Wisconsin Lutheran College.  Instead of a Sunday afternoon serenade, the concert begins at 7 PM.  For details, see the MFB web site, or check the post from a couple of weeks ago, when I previewed the concert.

Concert reminder

The Lakeshore Symphonic Band performs at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center on Sunday March 2 at 4 PM.  While I do not have any information on the program that will be performed, I suggest checking their web site for any other details.

Attention High School Musicians

The Lakeshore Symphonic Band will host their annual Concerto Competition for High School Juniors and Seniors. The competition will be held at Pius XI High School on Saturday March 8th.  The competition winner will perform with the Lakeshore Symphonic Band at their Spring Concert on Sunday May 11th.  The winning student will also take home a $500 scholarship.

There are a few more details for the interested student musician, and you can view them at the Lakeshore Symphonic Band's website.  Keep in mind that your application must be submitted by February 21.

So, get those chops in shape and give it your best.  You may be the winner!

Concert Preview: Milwaukee Festival Brass

The Milwaukee Festival Brass will present “Brass at Night,” the third concert of its 2013-2014 season on Saturday March 8 at 7 PM.   In this evocatively titled program, listeners will embark on a journey from the twilight hours of dusk, through the romance of the evening hours, to the mystery and fascination that the late night brings.

When asked about the theme of the concert, Music Director Mark A. Taylor said this:  When we are young children, the night can be scary, dark and full of the unknown.  But as we grow older, the night becomes a magical time – its darkness rich with possibilities for romance, imagination, dreams.  It is perhaps no coincidence that, like bedtime stories, most performances in the theatre occur at night, when our imaginations are a little freer to embrace fiction.

The concert will include a recent arrangement for brass band by noted New York composer Joseph Turrin.  The band’s solo euphonium, David Meyer, will perform the famous “Nessun dorma” aria from Puccini’s Turandot.  Other selections will include “Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera, and a beautiful rendition of the Welsh lullaby, “All Through the Night.”  A medley of show-stopping melodies by Broadway legend Cole Porter will conclude the performance.

In anticipation of its upcoming entry into the North American Brass Band Championships, the band will perform selections from its contest program, including Edward Gregson’s Partita and Michael Ball’s Chaucer’s Tunes.

The Milwaukee Festival Brass will present “Brass at Night” on Saturday, March 8, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at Schwan Concert Hall, on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College, 8815 West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee.  Tickets are $12, or $9 for seniors and students.  Group rates are available.  For more information, please visit the band’s website at www.mfbrass.org.

Just a reminder

Time is running out to get your tickets for the Valentine's weekend Dinner / Concert performed by the Menomonee Falls Symphony.  There are two performances:  Friday February 14th and Saturday February 15th, both at 6:30.

Tickets are available via mail order, and all of the information is at the MFSO web site.  Treat your special someone to a wonderful evening of food and music, and support the MFSO.  Everyone wins!