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CONCERT NOTES

Tuxedo Junction

Erksine Hawkins (1914-1993), Buddy Feyne (1912-1998), Bill Johnson (1912-1960), Julian Dash (1916-1974)

Arr. John Caponegro

• “Tuxedo Junction” was introduced to the world by the Erksine Hawkins Orchestra, a college dance band. It rose to number 7 on the national hit parade in 1939. The song was covered and recorded by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra and was part of a Billboard Number 1 Album. Tuxedo Junction is about a jazz and blues club in the Birmingham, AL suburb of Ensley. There was a streetcar crossing at Tuxedo Park, very near the club, which gave rise to the creation of the piece.

Canzona Bergamasca

Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) // Arr. Bob Lipton

• A canzona is a polyphonic composition form where each musical line imitates and echoes each other. A bergamasca is an Italian Dance of the late Renaissance and Early Baroque time period. Samuel Scheidt, a German composer, did most of his work for organ. He was the first internationally significant German composer for this instrument. Much of the rest his compositions were fugues or dance suites. Canzona Bergamasca combines these two forms in an interesting way.

Yorkshire Ballad

James Barnes (1949-present)

• James Barnes is a composer and educator from Oklahoma. He studied and taught at the University of Kansas. Yorkshire Ballad was written in 1985. It was originally scored for band, but was also orchestrated for full and string orchestra. Barnes was inspired by pictures of the Yorkshire Dales in Northern England and composed in the style of Percy Grainger’s “Irish Tune from County Derry.”

Cloudburst

Carl Strommen (1940-present)

• This piece was written to conjure images of a thunderstorm. The intensity and energy of these storms is present with the accents, dynamics and articulations in the opening theme. There is a lyrical and calm contrast in the middle followed by a reprise of the opening theme. Carl Strommen teaches composition and arranging at Long Island University. He began his publishing career doing jazz and pop arrangements for youth groups, but branched out into composing and distributing his own works.

Triumphal March from “Aida”

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) // Arr. John Caponegro

• “Aida” was an opera composed 1871 during Verdi’s late period. He was a very private person who composed many operas (37). “Aida” is set in Egypt and depicts the story of the enslaved Ethiopian princess, Aida. She is the slave of Anneris, the Pharoah’s daughter. An Egyptian General, Radames, is secretly in love with Aida, and she with him. Anneris is also in love with Radames, but this love is unrequited. This love triangle becomes the center for the plot twists of the opera. “Aida’s” popularity continues to this day and has been performed over 1100 times by the MET in New York, NY.

Fantasia Espanola

Soon Hee Newbold (1974-present)

• Col legno, pizzicato, strum chords, tremolo and accents are just a few of the special techniques used in this Spanish themed piece. Fantasia Espanola was commissioned in 2005 and depicts Spanish dancing, fiestas and the color and pageantry of the bullfights. Newbold won many prestigious competitions as a soloist with her piano and violin. She studied film scoring, orchestration and audio production at James Madison University and has worked on albums and various recording projects in Orlando and Los Angeles.

Medley from “Aladdin”

Alan Menken (1949-present) // Arr. John Moss

• “Arabian Nights,” “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me” are highlighted in this medley. Alan Menken has many acclaimed scores to his credit from his work with Disney. Besides “Aladdin,” he achieved Academy Award success with “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Pocahontas.” In addition to his 8 Academy Awards, he has won 11 Grammy’s and a Tony award. He continues to compose and work on stage adaptions of films.

The Middle

James Adkins (1975-present), Thomas Linton (1975-present), Richard Burch (1975-present, Zachary Lind (1976-present)

• Jimmy Eat World is a rock band from Mesa, AZ. They were formed in 1993 and still tour and perform today. They have recorded 8 studio albums. “The Middle” hit #5 on the Billboard Top 100 chart in July of 2001. The eighth note pulse and speed have been exciting and challenging in our preparation for this evening.

Capriol Suite

Peter Warlock (1894-1930)

• British composer Peter Warlock composed the Capriol Suite based on tunes in Thoinot Arbeau’s Orchesographie, a manual of Renaissance dances. The suite consists of six movements, four of them which we are performing. It was originally scored for a piano duet, but was then expanded to string and full orchestra. Peter Warlock (real name Philip Heseltine) did much of his work in music history and scholarship. He was also a music critic. Warlock’s life was cut short because of carbon monoxide poisoning from a malfunctioning coal furnace.

Variations on Paganini

Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) // Arr. Robert McCashin

• Paganini was a violinist and composer whose legend is very far reaching in the string community. He spent his life travelling as the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time. Part of his legend is the number of amazing instruments that he played, owned and lost during his career. According to historians he had at least two Guarneri violins, 5 Stradivarius violins, 2 Stradivarius violas and 2 Stradivarius cellos. Many of these instruments individually sell for millions of dollars. Paganini also had Marfan syndrome, which results in unusual height and very long fingers/toes. His fingers could stretch 3 octaves over 4 strings. This is almost a musical fifth more than standard violin technique. His 24th Caprice is the theme that this composition is based from.

Mr. Blue Sky

Jeff Lynne (1947-present)

• Mr. Blue Sky was written in 1977 and included on ELO’s album Out of the Blue. In an interview with BBC Radio, Jeff Lynne commented on the process he had while writing this album. He had locked himself in a Swiss chalet in an attempt to isolate and focus. It was dark and misty for 2 weeks and he didn’t come up with anything. Suddenly the sun shone and he was inspired by the beautiful Alps. He wrote Mr. Blue Sky and 13 other songs in the next 2 weeks.

Lion City

Soon Hee Newbold (1974-present)

• Singapore (Singa Pura = Lion City) was the location for the International Honor Orchestra Festival in 2009. Lion City was commissioned for this festival. Lion City is reflective of the many cultures that make up Singapore. The beginning starts with an ancient rainstorm, introducing Malay and Indian themes. The fast con fuoco sections are meant to depict the rapid economic growth of Singapore. Cultures from the East and West meet as Chinese and contemporary melodies are combined towards the end of the piece.

Don’t Stop Believin’

Jonathon Cain (1950-present), Neil Schon (1954-present), Steve Perry (1949-present) // Arr. Bob Phillips

• Don’t Stop Believin’ hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 list in 1981. It holds fame as one of the top selling digital songs from a pre-digital era (6.4 million downloads and counting). Journey had their biggest run of success from 1978-1987. They have sold over 47 million records and have had 18 top 40 singles. They, however, have never had a number one hit. The only group with more is ELO, who have had 20 top 40 singles without a number one hit.

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