Upcoming concert: Milwaukee Festival Brass

Join the Milwaukee Festival Brass as they preview some of the music they are preparing for the North American Brass Band Championships (April 1 and 2 in Fort Wayne, IN).  The concert begins at 7 PM in the Pius XI High School Arts Center on 76th Street just north of I-94.

Highlights will include the epic and majestic Act II finale: Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral, from Richard Wagner’s opera, Lohengrin.  In addition, two noteworthy soloists will be featured in the program. The first is the band’s newly-named principal solo cornet, Krystal Esty, who will perform a haunting arrangement of Joy Webb’s Share My Yoke. The second is Kelly Eshbaugh, a master’s degree candidate in trombone performance at UW-Milwaukee. She will present a movement from Chris Brubeck’s witty and beguiling Concerto for Bass Trombone.

The band will conclude its performance with a preview of Fanfares and Love Songs, a recent work by young British composer, Gavin Higgins. This is the piece the band will perform at the 2017 North American Brass Band Association’s annual contest where it will defend its Third Section Championship title.

And if you want even more information, see the MFB web site.  See you there!

Something to help you celebrate Valentine's Day

The Menomonee Falls Symphony Orchestra will present a special dinner / concert on Saturday February 11 at the Silver Spring Country Club.  Besides a wonderful buffet dinner provided by the staff at the Silver Spring Country Club, the Orchestra will be joined by the vocal quartet Heart to Heart.

The concert will feature music from Tchikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, as well as music from Somewhere in Time.

Dinner begins at 6:30 with the concert beginning after dinner.

For more information, please see the MFSO web site.

Chamber music, anyone?

The Concord Chamber Orchestra presents its annual chamber music concert, Anthology, at the North Shore Congregational Church in Fox Point on Sunday January 29th at 2 PM.

This is always an interesting concert, because Maestro Jamin Hoffman does not program the concert:  the individual members of the orchestra do.  As a result, a wide variety of chamber music is presented, prepared by the musicians themselves.

And a note to the sports fans:  the NFL has no game on that afternoon.  You can attend and enjoy the concert, and still take in the Pro Bowl in the evening.

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

Second half of the concert season

Now that the celebrations have come to a close, it is time to look forward to the concerts for 2017. Here is the list of concerts that I have for the second half of this season.  If you know of a concert that is not on the list, drop me a line and I'll be sure to get the word out.

And Happy 2017 to all!

January

• Sun.  29  1:30 Concord Chamber Orchestra at North Shore Congregational Church performing Chamber Music

February

• Sat.  11  6:30 Menomonee Falls Symphony performing a dinner concert at the Silver Spring Country Club
• Sat.  11  7:00  Milwaukee Festival Brass at Pius XI High School Performing Arts Center
• Sun. 26  4:00 Lakeshore Symphonic Band at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center
• Sun. 26  3:00 Milwaukee Festival Brass at Brass On The Border at Milton High School, Milton WI

March

• Sun.  5  2:00 Milwaukee Concert Band at Brown Deer High School
• Sat.  11  7:00 Concord Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Fri.  17  7:00 Greenfield Concert Band at Greenfield High School
• Sun. 26  3:00 Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Concert Band at Wisconsin Lutheran College
• Sun. 26  3:00 Waukesha Area Symphonic Band in a joint concert with the Madison Brass Band at Carroll University

April

• Sat. 22  7:30 Menomonee Falls Symphony at the Sussex Hamilton Fine Arts Center
• Sat.  29  7:00  Milwaukee Festival Brass at Concordia University

May

• Fri.  12  7:30 Waukesha Area Symphonic Band at Carroll University
• Sat.  13  7:00 Concord Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Sun.  14  2:00 Milwaukee Concert Band at Brown Deer High School
• Sun. 21  4:00 Lakeshore Symphonic Band at Cedarburg Performing Arts Center
• Mon. 29 4:00 Wauwatosa Community Band performing a Memorial Day Observance at the Milwaukee War Memorial

Happy Season, whichever one you celebrate

Most of the concerts are completed for this Holiday Season.  Most of the ones yet to complete are a part of the religious celebrations.  Be sure to thank the musicians working to make those celebrations wonderful. 

Merry Christmas to all.  The blog will be back on January 8 with the spring calendar of concerts.

Concert Preview - Milwaukee Festival Brass

The Milwaukee Festival Brass performs Holiday for Brass on Saturday evening December 10 at the Pius XI High School Arts Center.  The concert begins at 7 PM.

The program will include both traditional carols as well as newer works sure to become holiday classics.  Among those will be contemporary composer John Rutter's What Sweeter Music, featuring David Meyer on euphonium.  The MFB will also perform the upcoming National Championship work Dimensions by Peter Graham.

If you have never heard a British style Brass Band, I highly recommend attending this concert.  The sound is something hard to describe but very easy to enjoy!  Tickets are $12, $9 for seniors and students.  If you need more information, see the MFB web site.

And the group will be having a silent auction before the concert and during the intermission.  There will be a lot of wonderful things to bid on, just in time for Christmas giving!  See you there.

For those who enjoy the sound of French Horns

The Oshkosh Horn Choir, under the direction of Dr. Bruce Atwell, performs this Sunday December 4 at 7PM in the Music Hall on campus.  If you have never enjoyed the sound of a choir of French Horns, you are in for a treat.

The concert is free and open to the public.  Unfortunately, I do not have the program as of this writing.  But I hope to see you there.  I know you will enjoy it.