\u201cThis year\u2019s group of Wind Ensemble musicians are a special group,\u201d says JoAnn Wieszczyk, Moravian University Director of Instrumental Music and the Moravian University Wind Ensemble. \u201cThe students are so artistic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moravian University Wind Ensemble presents \u201cSong and Dance,\u201d 4 p.m. March 1, Foy Hall, Moravian University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI support doing collaborative work to provide students a rounded experience. Last year\u2019s concert included musicians from Liberty High School Grenadier Band and this year our guests are members of Pennridge High School Symphonic Band,\u201d Wieszczyk says.<\/p>\n
The concert opens with the Pennridge performance of Todd Stalter\u2019s (b. 1966) dynamic work \u201cRephrygeration,\u201d featuring aggressive low brass and rapid \u201csonic lightning\u201d woodwind passages.<\/p>\n
Based on the third movement of Camille Saint-Saens\u2019s \u201cSymphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78,\u201d Julie Giroux\u2019s (b. 1961) arrangement of \u201cChorale for Wind Band and Melodic Percussion\u201d features melodic percussion such as vibraphone, bells or marimba.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaribana Afterparty\u201d by Omar Thomas (b. 1984) transports the audience to a Caribbean carnival.<\/p>\n
After intermission, the Moravian Wind Ensemble performs three works: Kevin Walczyk\u2019s (b. 1964) \u201cSongs of Paradise,\u201d a setting of five hymns by African-American composer Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933); William Francis McBeth\u2019s (1933-2012) \u201cCanto,\u201d loosely based on the well-known Japanese melody \u201cSakura,\u201d and Oliver Nichol\u2019s arrangement of Arturo Marquez\u2019s (b.1952) popular \u201cDanzon No. 2.\u201d<\/p>\n
Says Wieszczyk, \u201cI can\u2019t say enough about the exciting \u2018Danzon No. 2.\u2019 We have fabulous soloists, including Ashley Golden, clarinet; Matthew Tomko, piccolo; Nick Mancini, soprano saxophone; Torin Heiland, trumpet, and Lindsay Detwiler, piano.<\/p>\n
The concert ends with John Philip Sousa\u2019s (1854-1932) \u201cEl Capitan\u201d and the combined ensemble performance of Shelley Hanson\u2019s (b. 1951) \u201cAlbanian Dances.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moravian University Wind Ensemble, \u201cSong and Dance,\u201d 4 p.m. March 1, Foy Hall, Moravian University, 342 Main St., Bethlehem. Tickets: Suggested donation: $15; https:\/\/www.moravian.edu\/music\/concert-schedule<\/p>\n
The origins of Black History Month began in 1926 with the establishment of \u201cNegro History Week\u201d by Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950).<\/p>\n
The month of February was chosen to align with the birthdays of Frederick Douglas (c.1818-1895) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), who each supported the emancipation of slaves.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 10, 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized February as Black History Month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are pleased to commemorate Black History Month in a program featuring two local Black artists, Evelyn Stewart and Chet Brown, and music by mostly Black composers,\u201d says Ronald Demkee, Allentown Band Conductor.<\/p>\n
The Allentown Band presents its \u201cCelebrate Black History Month\u201d concert, 3 p.m. Feb. 22, Christ Lutheran Church, Allentown.<\/p>\n
The concert opens with \u201cSymphony No. 1: Juba Dance\u201d and \u201cThe Old Boatman\u201d by American composer, pianist and teacher Florence Price (1887-1953). She is credited as the first Black female composer to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, in 1933.<\/p>\n
Soprano Evelyn Stewart performs Luigi Zaninelli\u2019s wonderful setting of \u201cFive American Spirituals,\u201d including: \u201cHis Eye is on the Sparrow,\u201d \u201cThe Sweet By and By,\u201d \u201cAmazing Grace,\u201d \u201cOld-Time Religion\u201d and \u201cShall We Gather at the River?\u201d<\/p>\n
The band continues with \u201cA Folk Song Suite\u201d of \u201cGet on Board Little Children,\u201d \u201cDeep River\u201d and \u201cMedley\u201d by William Grant Still (1895-1978) followed by Chet Brown on vocals for Sammy Nestico\u2019s \u201cTribute to Sammy Davis, Jr.\u201d and Hoagy Carmichael\u2019s \u201cGeorgia.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concert closes with Scott Joplin\u2019s \u201cPineapple Rag\u201d and W.C. Handy\u2019s \u201cSt. Louis Blues.\u201d<\/p>\n
Says Demkee, \u201cWe have the good fortune to have Chet and Evelyn with us on a regular basis and Christ Church is a wonderful venue for a concert, providing good acoustics and sight lines for all in the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stewart has performed with the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra and Opera North Company of Philadelphia. While attending then Moravian College she was selected for Master Class participation with opera stars Denyce and Samuel Ramey. She is a private voice instructor.<\/p>\n
Brown, a vocal instructor at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, is a studio vocalist and voice-over talent. He sings with the Frank DiBussolo Group and the Last Thursday Band.<\/p>\n
The Allentown Band, \u201cCelebrate Black History Month,\u201d 3 p.m. Feb. 22, Christ Lutheran Church, 1245 Hamilton St., Allentown. Free-will donation; https:\/\/allentownband.com<\/p>\n
\u201cClassical View\u201d is a column about classical music concerts, conductors and performers, To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com<\/p>\n
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOJoAnn Wieszczyk<\/p>\n
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOMoravian University Wind Ensemble<\/p>\n
Evelyn Stewart<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThis year\u2019s group of Wind Ensemble musicians are a special group,\u201d says JoAnn Wieszczyk, Moravian University Director of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-119758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}