February 23, 2010

Northern Michigan Brass Band to Perform in St. Ignace

The Northern Michigan Brass Band will present a concert entitled Something for Everyone - An Eclectic Perogram on Sunday, February 28, at the United Methodist Church in Gaylord and on Sunday, March 7, at the United Methodist Church in St. Ignace. Both programs will begin at 3:00 P.M. Now in its eleventh year of operation, this 26 piece, British-style ensemble will perform a program of brass band music by Edward Gregson, Richard Strauss, John Philip Sousa, Franz von Suppé, Malcolm Arnold, Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz and Glenn Miller. The featured soloist is Gaylord xylophonist Sarah Neff in a performance of The Ragtime Robin by George Hamilton Green. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets are available online at www.TreaTickets.com and at the door.

When planning a program, NMiBB Conductor Ralph Schweigert says he tries to remember that not everyone listens to music in the same way. “Some people listen with their heads, others with their hearts and still others with their feet,” Schweigert said. “I try to include music that will appeal to all these listening styles on any one program. We’re calling this concert ‘Something for Everyone,’ but we could actually give that title to any of our programs.”

“We are also very excited about performing again in the UP, especially after the wonderful reception we received last year,” Schweigert added. “We’d very much like to make this an annual event.”

The program will open with a Fanfare for the City of Vienna by Strauss, followed by Partita for Brass Band by Gregson, Light Cavalry Overture by von Suppé, Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral by Wagner, and the Hungarian March by Berlioz. The second half of the program will begin with George Washington Bicentennial by Sousa, The Ragtime Robin by Green featuring xylophone soloist Sarah Neff and The Bridge on the River Kwai by Arnold. The concert will conclude with four Glenn Miller swing classics In the Mood, Moonlight Serenade, Pennsylvania 6-5000 and American Patrol.

The featured soloist Sarah Neff is 18 years old, a senior at Gaylord High School and an outstanding member of the Gaylord Symphony Band. She recently earned a coveted first chair position in the 2010 Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s All-State Orchestra which performed last month in the DeVos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids. Next year Sarah plans on attending Western Michigan University pursuing a career in music therapy.

Centered in Gaylord, the all-volunteer NMiBB has attracted enthusiastic adult brass players from across northern Michigan from Alpena to Traverse City and north to Mackinaw City, including Petoskey, Charlevoix, Bellaire, Williamsburg, East Jordan, Beulah and Gaylord. Since the band was organized in January of 1999, it has presented over 60 concerts in various venues throughout northern Michigan. This will be the band’s eleventh appearance in Gaylord, and it’s second appearance in St. Ignace.

Past Guest Conductors have included Dr. Paul Droste, Professor Emeritus from The Ohio State University and conductor of the Brass Band of Columbus, the famous Canadian brass band specialist Bram Gregson, the renowned American brass band composer and conductor, James Curnow and Professor Emeritus Kenneth G. Bloomquist, retired Director of Bands at Michigan State University.

Featured soloists have included Michael Mayhew, Associate Principal Horn of the Cleveland Orchestra; Bradley Moors, a NMiBB founding member and a former Cornet Section Leader of the United States Army Brass Band; and Charles K. Smith, Professor Emeritus and retired Director of Choral Activities at Michigan State University.

NMiBB is a 501(c)(3) organization and is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions. More information may be found at www.northernmichiganbrassband.org. This concert is being sponsored in part by CMU Public Radio.

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