The Naperville Municipal Band’s Fall Concert titled “Anniversaries” will be held at 3PM Sun., Nov. 9, at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave. Admission is free.
It’s the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner and the band will be playing two versions: the 1859 version considered not singable and the official Armed Forces arrangement, which is the one that is sung today. It’s the 100th anniversary of World War I and the band will be playing the “Over There Fantasy” and “On the Quarterdeck March.” In honor of the 150th anniversary of Arlington National Cemetery, the band will play a new composition titled, “Arlington,” composed by Paul Murtha, and accompanied by a video presentation, developed by Veronica Porter of Porter Presentations. Expect some spectacular marches and maybe even an appearance by the maestro as it is the 160th anniversary of John
Philip Sousa’s birth. It’s also the anniversaries of beloved movie classics “Gone with the Wind” (75th) and “Mary Poppins” (50th).
Bassoonist Peter Kolkay returns to his hometown and will play two bassoon solos. Kolkay attended Jefferson Junior High School when Naperville Municipal Band Director Ron Keller taught there. Kolkay originally started as an oboe player, but when there were five oboe players in the band, Dr. Keller asked his young student if he would consider changing to bassoon and he blossomed with the new instrument. Kolkay became part of a woodwind quintet that was formed in sixth grade and stayed together through all four years at Naperville North High School.
Today, Kolkay is called “stunningly virtuosic” by The New York Times and “superb” by The Washington Post. He claimed first prize at the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in 2002 and was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2004. He is an Artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and a member of the IRIS Orchestra in Germantown, Tenn. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., a master’s degree from the
Eastman School of Music and a doctorate from Yale University. He is associate professor of bassoon at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.
For more information, visit www.napervilleband.org or call (630) 778-9994.
Holiday concerts, too!
Merry Tuba Christmas is Dec. 6
Naperville is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Merry Tuba Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 6. The free performances will be held at 11:15AM at U.S. Bank on the northeast corner of Jefferson Avenue and Washington Street and at 12:45PM at the Westfield Fox Valley shopping center in Aurora in the food court. The event is open to all euphonium/baritone players and tuba players from sixth grade to adult.
Christmas Concert is Dec. 7
The Naperville Municipal Band will perform a Christmas Concert at 3PM Sunday, Dec. 7 at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Admission is free.
For more information about all the music of the Naperville Municipal Band provided throughout the year, call (630) 778-9994 or visit www.napervilleband.org.
