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!

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.

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!

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!

Support music education in our schools

The week of March 6 to 10, Barnes and Noble will be supporting music education in our public schools. A portion of the proceeds of eligible sales will be donated to music education.

This is a great deal - not only do you get to do some shopping, but music education in Wisconsin gets a helping hand as well. For all the details, see this site: www.foundation4schoolmusic.org.

Time to add to your library!

Congratulations are in order

Congratulations go out to Dr. Bruce Atwell, Professor of Horn at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, for a successful Horn Day on Saturday the 19th. It was the first Horn Day at UWO, with many more to come.

Besides providing seminars on technique and performance for the attendees, there were two special events. The first was the appearance of the American Horn Quartet, one of the best chamber music groups in the world. Not only did they perform in concert in the evening, but they instructed a Master Class in the afternoon for the Horn Day attendees.

I love to see these events well attended because they promote music within the community, and allow amateur musicians to learn from the very best at an extremely low cost. What a great event for Horn students in the Oshkosh and Fox Valley areas. And I know of adults from the Milwaukee area that attended as well.

But I mentioned before that there were two special events. The second event occurred in the afternoon when the American Horn Quartet joined the Fox Valley Horn Club in a performance of the March from Raiders of the Lost Ark by John Williams. The Fox Valley Horn Club is made up of mostly middle and high school students learning the horn, with some adults to help out - especially with the bass clef parts. This arrangement of Raiders is for 12 voices, all French Horns, and it is great. If you missed seeing the performance live, it will be on YouTube very soon. And I'm sure the members of the Horn Club will remember performing with the American Horn Quartet for many years!

As I said, congratulations are definitely in order for both Dr. Atwell and for Don Krause. Well done!

Upcoming concert: Milwaukee Festival Brass

The Milwaukee Festival Brass will perform on Sunday April 3 at 3 PM in the Schwan Concert Hall on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College. In the early spring each year, the MFB perform their festival concert, music saluting one of the many ethnic festivals in the Milwaukee area. This year, the concert will feature music with a French flair.

The MFB is the only British Style Brass Band in the area. The instrumentation gives a unique sound to the music, especially to familiar tunes. If you have never heard a brass band performance, you will be very surprised at the difference in sound.

Included on the program are Gershwin's An American in Paris, Bizet's L'Arlesienne, a suite from the opera Carmen, and of course, the music of the can-can. Dr. Patricia Backhaus always programs at least one piece written specifically for brass band, and for this concert the MFB will perform Blitz by Derek Bourgeous.

You can also receive a discount on your tickets if you bring two or more non-perishable food items to benefit the Hunger Task Force. So you get the best of all things: help those less fortunate in our community, get a discount on your ticket, and enjoy a great concert. It doesn't get much better than that...

For more information, please see the MFB web site: www.mfbrass.org