The March 1 concert has been canceled due to school closures caused by the COVID-19 situation.
Previous post regarding March 1 Concert:
The 75 musicians of the Lake Oswego Millennium Concert Band invite you to attend our second concert of the group’s 21st season on Sunday, March 1. The free concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Lakeridge High School Auditorium.
In keeping with our tradition, this concert will present a variety of entertaining musical styles from classical and popular genres. We can’t wait to share an evening of beauty, excitement, interest, and humor with you.
We encourage you to arrive early. Local artists Skip Burke, Linda Mraz, and Dee Rommel will be showing their work in the lobby while the Brass Unlimited brass quintet performs pre-concert music beginning at 6:45 p.m.
The Program
The theme for the evening is “Today’s Forecast: Sunny and Warm.” We kick off our concert and turn on the heat with the Rákóczi Hungarian March from The Damnation of Faustby Hector Berlioz. From the dramatic opening fanfare to the heart-stopping, frenzied conclusion, this orchestral transcription is destined to make an exciting impression. We follow this with music of a 17th-century composer from sunny Italy, Girolamo Frescobaldi. His Toccata was originally written for organ, but we feel it projects more beauty, color, nuance, and intensity when performed by a large symphonic wind group.
Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann is based on the children’s piano piece “The Happy Farmer.” This original work for winds by Robert Jager is a showpiece for the band’s ability to alternate between transparent, intimate chamber music and powerful, challenging rhythmic drama. We’ll bring you back to more familiar territory with a medley from the mid-1960s: California Dreamin’ and Monday, Monday by the Mamas and the Papas. We conclude our first half with Australian composer Percy Grainger’s clever, humorous, and chaotic The Gum-Suckers’ March.
After intermission, the spotlight shines on the featured performers of the evening. Our six terrific percussionists will light things up on a large array of instruments as they set the groove for the wind players on Mambo Furioso. Next is The Purple Carnival, a classic, uplifting traditional march from the 1930s by Harry Alford. We then turn to music of the Deep South with Johnnie Vinson’s Echoes of the Hollow Square. This delightful, rustic setting of four hymns is based on the 200-year shape-note or “Sacred Harp” tradition that is still practiced today by singing groups.
We conclude with a sure-fire audience favorite and a staple of pops concerts everywhere. John Williams: Evening at Pops is a medley of some of his most well-loved marches. We’re Lookin’ Good (The Special Olympics March), The Cowboys, The Dance of the Witches, and the Olympic Fanfare and Theme should send you home with some great tunes in your ears and a smile on your face.
Join Us
I’m deeply honored and excited to be part of the continued excellence this fine community band has achieved over the past 20 years under the now-retired founding director, Dale Cleland. Please join us and introduce a friend or two to our music by bringing them along to this free concert!
Dave Becker, Conductor and Musical Director Lake Oswego Millennium Concert Band
Lake Oswego Millennium Concert Band in Concert
- Sunday, March 1, 2020
- Lakeridge High School Auditorium, 1235 Overlook Drive, Lake Oswego
- 6:30 p.m. Doors open
- 6:45 p.m. Visit with artists in the lobby and hear pre-concert music by Brass Unlimited
- 7:30 p.m. Concert begins, concluding around 9:30 p.m.
Free admission