May 12, 2007
Saturday

Ketchikan, Alaska - The Ketchikan Community Concert Band will present their Spring Concert on Saturday evening, May 19th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Ketchikan High School Auditorium. The theme for this spring's program is "The Remarkable Run", which is the title of a special piece composed for the band by former Ketchikan resident, Brent Purvis.

Brent graduated from Kayhi in 1990, majored in music education and composition at the University of Idaho and has since taught music at South Whidbey High School, in Washington, and in Sitka, Alaska. He has been Director of Bands and Music Coordinator for the Colville Washington School District the past two years. Brent worked for many years while in high school and college at McPherson Music and was one of the original members of the popular local jazz group, "Lush Life". One of the KCCB band members donated mileage to make it possible for Mr. Purvis to come up for the concert and conduct his piece.

The "Remarkable Run" is a musical tribute to Southeast Alaska and depicts the annual run of pink salmon upstream to their spawning grounds. The three connected segments of the piece represent the pooling at the mouth of the river ("Waiting For The Tide"),"The Run Is On" and "End Of The Run". The music calls for three rainsticks to produce the rain effects at the beginning and end of the piece. The band members owned two of these instruments, but rather than buy another one, percussionists George Shaffer and Patrick Enright built an even better alternative - a circular, hand-cranked, continual rain machine which better matches our weather in Southeast. It works beautifully, looks great and is like no other instrument. It also has a visual pattern on the front that will certainly get the attention of audience members.

The concert will also feature Kayhi band director, Dale Curtis, as trumpet soloist with the band on a piece entitled "Dramatic Essay" by Clifton Williams.

The percussion will be featured in "Concertino for Percussion and Band", and the program opens with a concert march called "Marcho Poco" ("Little March").

Alexander Borodin wrote two complete symphonies and a portion of a third before he passed away in 1877. The first movement of his Second Symphony was transcribed for the Goldman Band in 1940, but the beautiful third movement has never been available to bands prior to now. Roy McPherson arranged the third movement for this band and this concert.

The "La Fiesta Mexicana" is an exciting setting of festival music in three movements. The band will perform the exciting first movement ("Prelude and Aztec Dance"), and the beautiful and stirring "Mass" from this suite. This piece will be the best opportunity yet to hear the wonderful chimes that the KCCB percussionists built several years ago.

There are three unique and beautifully constructed pieces on the program - "Harvesting The Fields of Russia", "Misty Rain, Softly Falling" and "Lux Aurumque" ("Light and Gold"). "Vigor" is as active and energetic a piece as the title suggests and the concert will close with "Caribbean Hideaway". The band's encore at the Winter Concert was quite a surprise, with them singing "The Holly and the Ivy" in four-part harmony. Should the audience request an encore this Spring, an even bigger surprise is in store for them.

Refreshments will be served after the concert so that the musicians, the audience and Mr. Purvis can get together.

Tickets are available at McPherson Music, from any band member and at the door.

Source of News & Photograph:

McPherson Music
http://www.mcphersonalaska.com/

 

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Ketchikan, Alaska