FARMINGTON – The UMF Concert Band, composed of more than 45 UMF students and community members from Farmington and the surrounding region, presents its annual fall concert at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 18, in UMF’s Nordica Auditorium in Merrill Hall.
This concert offers a distinctly classical flavor with arrangements of music by Vivaldi, Bach and Tchaikovsky. Directed by Anita Jerosch—the program also features Elliot Del Borgo’s “Irish Rhapsody,” W. Francis McBeth’s “Kaddish,” and John Williams’ “Harry Potter Symphonic Suite.”
UMF juniors Sarah McKeown and Jacqueline Murphy will play the solo saxophone parts in Antonio Vivaldi’s Double Concerto. Vivaldi, who lived from 1678 to 1741, was renowned as the composer of hundreds of concertos—works that featured solo instruments with string orchestra. Typically composed for violin as the solo instrument, his concertos also featured solos for the recorder, mandolin, guitar, lute, bassoon and others.
Additionally, the UMF Concert Band will play Bach’s chorale “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,” which translates as “Awake, the voices of the watchmen call.” Vivaldi’s contemporary, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the bulk of his music for the Lutheran church, including many chorales. Originally intended for singers with organ or other instrumental reinforcement, they are also well-suited to performance by concert bands.
Two arrangements of music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky round out the program, including the last movement of his Symphony No. 2 and a selection from his much-loved “Nutcracker Suite.”
Jerosch, a versatile bass trombonist and euphonium player, is a member of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and directs the Edith Jones Project—a modern, big band jazz group. She has performed with the Portland Symphony Orchestra and Maine State Music Theater and has played for Carol Channing, Rita Moreno, Barry Manilow and The Manhattan Transfer and performed at both inaugural balls for President Clinton.
Tickets are available at the door the night of the performance and are priced at $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and are free for UMF students with University I.D. and children under 16. For more information, please contact the UMF Department of Sound, Performance and Visual Inquiry at 207-778-7072.
