The members of the Lake Oswego Millennium Concert Band are excited to open our 18th season on Sunday, November 20, 2016 with a concert that will be musically exciting, technically demanding for the performers and wonderful to hear for the audience. Our rehearsals have been fun, we have practiced diligently and are confident we have a program that will be among the best we have performed. We are still basking in the kudos and thrills we experienced last June in Washington D.C. and are determined to continue to perform at the highest level for our wonderful audience.
The music you will hear at this concert will continue our tradition of something for every musical taste. Our opening number, Red Rock Mountain has a western flavor with soaring melodies, interesting rhythms, thrilling sounds and quiet interludes. Our second piece, October, will be directed by Allie Greenwell who has done a magnificent job preparing this beautifully lush, pastoral music for you. Allie is a member of our percussion section and is a high school band director who has experienced much success with her students. The Overture to the Merry Wives of Windsor opera is the “big number” in the first part of our concert and the music you will hear portrays the comedic and whimsical atmosphere that is prevalent in this opera written by German composer Otto Nicolai, first performed in 1848. Next, is In the Center Ring which is a musical snapshot of the wild antics that circus performers go through under the “Big Top” to make the circus fun for all. The exquisite march Americans We, by Henry Fillmore will close the first part of the concert.
After intermission, you will hear Joy of Life, a delightful piece, that draws upon the rich and colorful traditions of Cajun music and, in places, the attentive listener will hear fragments of the Navy Hymn, Eternal Father, Strong to Save. Some of the favorite musical themes from the movies must be the music associated with James Bond. We know you will enjoy Bond, James Bond, which will highlight most of the best music from those exciting movies. Hit tunes from the great Glenn Miller Band will be featured next with a medley of many of the greatest songs from the “Big Band Era” as our band performs In the Miller Mood. One of John Philip Sousa’s rousing marches, Riders For The Flag, will be our second march of the evening and then a brand new composition called The Rusty Bucket (and Other Juke Joints) will put the finishing touches on a wonderful evening of band music.
Please join us at the Lakeridge High School Auditorium on Sunday evening, November 20, at 7:30 pm. The doors open at 6:30 pm, so come early to view the artwork and to listen to the Millennium Winds wind quintet in the Lobby prior to the concert. As always, there is no admission charge for admittance to our concert.
Dale Cleland, Musical Director
Lake Oswego Millennium Concert Band