FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 15, 2006
NORTHSHORE CONCERT BAND ANNOUNCES 2006-2007 SEASON
Evanston, IL–The Northshore Concert Band (NCB) announced plans today for its 2006-2007 concert season. One of the nation’s largest and most respected symphonic bands, the NCB will bring the best in classical wind band literature to the North Shore area with four dynamic programs, all conducted by Artistic Director Mallory Thompson. For tickets, call 877-226-3849 or visit www.northshoreband.org.
The season opens with the FALL CONCERT, featuring Chicago Symphony Orchestra trombonist Michael Mulcahy and an afternoon of musical masterworks written and arranged for band on Sunday, November 5, 2006, at 3:00 P.M. at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive in Evanston. Repertoire includes Shostakovich’s exhilarating Festive Overture, Franz Biebl’s famous Ave Maria in a lush transcription, and Percy Aldridge Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, one of the most important pieces ever written for band. Mulcahy, a member of the CSO since his appointment by Sir Georg Solti in 1989, is an active soloist, chamber musician, and conductor, appearing in concert around the world.
The WINTER CONCERT, Sunday, February 11, 2007, 3:00 P.M. at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, highlights talented young musicians and the NCB’s commitment to music education. French horn player Matthew Oliphant, winner of the John P. Paynter Scholarship and student of Gail Williams at Northwestern University, will perform a solo work with the band. Plus, 60 outstanding high school musicians will be invited to perform with the band as part of the NCB’s Lifetime of Music initiative, a program that encourages high school students to continue their musical pursuits beyond graduation. Works on the program include Elgar’s Enigma Variations, LoPresti’s Elegy for a Young American—a memorial to John F. Kennedy—and Sousa’s fervent Liberty Bell March.
The SPRING CONCERT features a “triple threat” of brilliant soloists on Sunday, April 15, 2007, 3:00 P.M. at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Former CSO musicians Grover Schiltz (English horn and oboe) and Walfrid Kujala (flute) display their talents in Holst’s Fugal Concerto, a rarely-performed gem. Schiltz also joins trumpeter Barbara Butler in Copland’s introspective Quiet City. Additional works include Gould’s West Point Symphony, commissioned for the academy’s sesquicentennial, and movements from the thunderous Carmina Burana.
The NCB’s 51st season comes to a close on Sunday, June 3, 2007, 3:00 P.M. at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall with its internationally-flavored SUMMER CONCERT. The journey begins with Gould’s rousing American Salute, and continues with musical postcards from England, Korea, and Russia. The program closes with a timeless band classic, Gustav Holst’s Second Suite in F.
Complete programming and guest artist biographies can be found at www.northshoreband.org. All artists and programming subject to change.
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Northshore Concert Band Announces 2006-2007 Season—Page 2
About the Northshore Concert Band
The NCB has been bringing music to the North Shore communities for over 50 years. Performing up to 15 concerts a year in the Chicago metropolitan area and reaching over 20,000 people annually, NCB’s season includes a four-concert subscription series, educational outreach programs at area schools, summer concerts, and professional band festivals and conferences. NCB is committed to music education and is the proud co-sponsor of the Northshore Concert Band/Northwestern University Festival of Music, now in its 31st year, which attracts over 3,500 young musicians annually. Additional programs include the John P. Paynter Scholarship Award and the Lifetime of Music initiative. The NCB is composed of 110 dedicated volunteer musicians, ranging in age from 20 to 85, with an average tenure of 15 years. Approximately half are professional music educators, while the rest present a diverse set of occupations including business executives, attorneys, and physicians.
About Artistic Director Mallory Thompson
Dr. Mallory Thompson has been Artistic Director of the Northshore Concert Band since 2003. In addition to her duties with NCB, Thompson is director of bands, professor of music and coordinator of the conducting program at Northwestern University. Prior to this appointment, she held similar positions at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the University of South Florida, Oberlin Conservatory, and Bucknell University. Thompson maintains an active schedule as guest conductor, clinician, and guest lecturer throughout the United States and Canada.
Subscriptions for all four concerts are $43 regular price; $32 for seniors ages 65 and older; and $18 for students and children. Single tickets are $15 regular price, $12 for seniors, and $6 for students and children. Group rates are available for 10 or more people. Please call 877-226-3849 or visit www.northshoreband.org to purchase subscriptions and single tickets.
Calendar Editors, please note:
[Category: Performing Arts/Music/Classical Music]
Northshore Concert Band
Dr. Mallory Thompson, artistic director
2006-2007 Season
Four Sunday Afternoons at 3:00 P.M., Pick-Staiger Concert Hall
Fall Concert: November 5, 2006
Winter Concert: February 11, 2007
Spring Concert: April 15, 2007
Summer Concert: June 3, 2007
For subscriptions, tickets, and more information: 877-226-3849 or www.northshoreband.org
NCB is sponsored in part by grants from The Chicago Community Trust, Northern Trust, the John P. Paynter Foundation, Schiff Hardin LLP, UBS, the Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
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