The Dundas Valley Orchestra: A Jewel In The Valley

One of the smartest uses of municipal tax money, next to the basics of education, sanitation, and safety, is in supporting cultural activities for the benefit of all. 

The Dundas Valley Orchestra (DVO) is one such recipient, and the DVO members and executive take it to heart. They make it their goal to serve the community's interests by offering free performances, and by maintaining an open, educational atmosphere in rehearsals and activities. Indeed, the orchestra has always had the purpose of providing a local opportunity for musical growth and community service.

Commitment to the Community

Since its founding in 1978 the Dundas Valley Orchestra's goal has been to have musicians playing together for their love of music, and sharing their love of music with the community. As part of its mandate to serve the community, the DVO performs four times a year for local seniors' homes, and it charges nothing for its two annual concerts.

The Dundas Valley Orchestra, June 2011

Today I have arranged to meet with orchestra president Peter Hill, Concert Master Olga Hencher, and violinist/board member Marg Jamieson. As we take our seats at the restaurant next to the Centre For String Playing, I soon get the happy feeling that they are eager to tell the DVO story. I can feel their enthusiasm, and am instantly reminded of the intangible benefits of belonging to a group such as this.

Hill shows me his book entitled, The Dundas Valley Orchestra: A Jewel In The Valley, 1978-2011 to underscore his assertion that this particular community orchestra should not be forgotten. "How many community music groups have a book written about them?" he asks. As I flip through the pages I'm discovering a piece of our own cultural history - a piece that would have faded away forever into the memories of the several hundred local musicians who have played with the DVO at one time or another. The book is a dear project of Hill, who has been DVO's archivist over the years.

Laura Thomas
Music Director

Following the leadership of Hill, Hencher and the rest of the orchestra board, the DVO is sharpening its focus and taking steps to improve its size, sound and footprint in the community.

Laura Thomas, Music Director

A significant part of the renewed focus has come from hiring Laura Thomas as Music Director and Conductor. Thomas replaced Glenn Mallory in September 2011, after Mallory's "filling in" stint had morphed into a fourteen year stay. Mallory is an honourary lifetime member of the Hamilton Musician's Guild, has conducted the Hamilton Youth Orchestra, and was the coordinator of music for the Board of Education for the City of Hamilton. Under Mallory's leadership the DVO flourished.

Ms. Thomas is a conductor, arranger, composer, percussionist and teacher. She holds master’s degree in conducting from New York’s prestigious Bard College, and is a graduate of McMaster University and Hamilton’s Mohawk College, where she studied percussion and composition. She is Associate Conductor of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director of the Niagara-based chamber choir Choralis Camerata, and Music Director of the Niagara Youth Orchestra and the Hamilton/Niagara area WomEnchant Chorus.

What do you think it means to be a good conductor?

Harold Farberman, Bard College

A conductor must understand what it means to be a player. About 18 years ago I began attending conducting workshops. Finally the opportunity came along to attend Bard. Harold Farberman has a unique way of thinking about the music. He also believes that as a non string player you must study to be able to “get it.” There is a physical way to communicate the music that relies less on a specific beat pattern. A couple of the members of the DVO have noticed, and they like it.  

What are your goals for the DVO under your direction?

I’d like to see us develop our listening and blending skills and to continue to grow our membership. We’ve seen some growth recently, and it’s been encouraging. The DVO has an amazing commitment to students and youth. Our May concert will include a student soloist. Our concerto competition includes a young up and coming player who performs one of the famous concertos on their instrument, accompanied by the full orchestra. We’re proud of being willing and able to give such an opportunity and experience to a young musician.

Another opportunity for young players is the Glenn Mallory award. The award goes to a student member each year. The criteria are being fine-tuned as we speak, but they are based on qualities of growth, development and commitment.

What does the ideal gig look like for you, with the DVO and beyond?

I hope to continue to develop the programming. Perhaps there will be some “blurring” of the genre boundaries. I like the idea of being fresh and not-quite predictable. My dream? I’m more interested in doing the best I can in Dundas, for the community and for the orchestra at the present time. I want to make the most of where I’m standing now. And for me that’s a good place. 

The DVO rehearses on Tuesday evenings beginning in September and welcomes new members. For further information about interviews, membership or the 2012-2013 season, please email the Secretary, Alicia Hutchings, at info@dundasvalleyorchestra.ca.

Strongman and Kennedy Gather Blues Nominations

Hamilton Blues Men Steve Strongman and Harrison Kennedy Garner Maple Blues Nominations

16th Annual Maple Blues Awards return to Koerner Hall, January 21, 2013

The nominees are recognized both for their talent as well as their contribution to the growing Canadian blues music scene.  

Go to the voter registration page.

The 16th Annual Maple Blues Awards Nominees:

Entertainer Of The Year

Colin James
Matt Andersen
MonkeyJunk
Shakura S'Aida
Steve Strongman 

     

Electric Act Of The Year

Anthony Gomes
JW-Jones
MonkeyJunk
Paul Reddick
Steve Strongman

Acoustic Act Of The Year

Harrison Kennedy
Michael Jerome Browne
Ray Bonneville
Steve Strongman
Suzie Vinnick

Male Vocalist Of The Year

Chuck Jackson
Harrison Kennedy
Matt Andersen
Paul Reddick
Steve Marriner

Female Vocalist Of The Year

Dawn Tyler Watson
Nanette Workman
Shakura S'Aida
Suzie Vinnick
Treasa Levasseur      

New Artist Or Group Of The Year

Ben Racine
Boogie Patrol
Conor Gains Band
Steve Kozak
The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer

Recording/Producer Of The Year

"A Natural Fact" Steve Strongman (Independent) Producer - Rob Szabo

 "Checkered Past" The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer (Independent) Producers - Matthew Rogers & Shawn Hall

"Time" Shakura S'Aida (Electro-Fi) Producers - Shakura S'Aida, Howard Ayee

"Broad" Treasa Levasseur (Slim Chicken), Producers - Treasa Levasseur, Ken Whiteley, Steve Marriner, Terry Wilkins

"Wishbone" Paul Reddick (Independent) Producer - Colin Cripps

Guitarist Of The Year

                                                                                                        

David Gogo
Garrett Mason
Kevin Breit
Steve Strongman
Teddy Leonard 

                                                                                                        

Harmonica Player Of The Year

Carlos del Junco
David Hoerl 
Guy Bélanger
Paul Reddick
Steve Marriner 

                                                                                                        

Piano/Keyboard Player Of The Year

David Vest
Julian Fauth
Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne
Lance Anderson
Michael Fonfara

                                                                                                    

Horn Player Of The Year

                                                                                                        

Al Lerman
Chris Whiteley
Frank Thiffault 
Jon Wong  
Pat Carey 

                                                                                                        

Drummer Of The Year

                                                                                                        

Bucky Berger 
Chris Nordquist
Matt Sobb
Sam Harrisson 
Tom Bona 

                                                                                                        

Bassist Of The Year

                                                                                                        

Alec Fraser
Gary Kendall 
Omar Tunnoch 
Stephen Barry
Terry Wilkins 

                                                                                                        

Songwriter Of The Year

                                                                                                        

Julian Fauth
Paul Reddick
Shakura S'Aida & Donna Grantis
Steve Strongman
Treasa Levasseur

B.B. King International Artist Of The Year

Tedeschi Trucks Band
Michael Burks
Dr. John
Curtis Salgado
Joe Louis Walker

Blues With A Feeling Award(Lifetime Achievement)

Alec Fraser
Danny Brooks
Ellen McIlwaine
Joe Murphy
Ken Whiteley
Michael Fonfara
Stephen Barry
Tom Lavin
Michael Jerome Browne
Matt Minglewood
Brent Parkin
Bob Walsh
Jim Zeller
Nanette Workman
Theresa Malenfant
John Dickie

Blues Booster Of The Year

John Valenteyn

Go to the voter registration page.

Tickets for the Maple Blues Awards, held at the Royal Conservatory's Koerner Hall in Toronto, are on sale now for $35 - $65 and can be purchased at The Weston Family Box Office, located in The Royal Conservatory building at 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto or online at https://tickets.rcmusic.ca/public.
-------------------
With thanks to Sarah French Publicity 
sarah@sarahfrenchpublicity.com
416-566-4188

Hamilton 24 Festival Birthed AndrewVictoria's Champion Song

Singer, Song and Songwriter in Perfect Union

"It's not the singer, it's the song" 

Well, I beg to differ. 

In the case of AndrewVictoria's Repeat Yesterday, singer, song and songwriter are entwined perfectly, resulting in a song that has now won the Intel Superstars contest, and bringing the prize total for this song to four. Hamilton duo Andrew Rudd and Victoria Boland made an international splash last week with 140,000 voters/fans and a panel of industry judges on ourstage.com by winning the competition hands down.

Andrew Rudd, Victoria Boland

Not Your Typical Contest

Ourstage.com is a streaming music site that creatively links independent artists with a highly engaged listener base. Says Rudd, "They want fans to sign up as listeners of independent music, and then to build playlists. Listeners star artists they like and a ranking system is built."

"The competitions are a way to bring artists in. The prizes are great, and it allows them to give something of value back to the artist." Ourstage's strategy is to create a series of high profile performance and competition opportunities. The artists then upload their songs, create a profile, and then enter themselves into various arenas of competition. The listeners vote for the artist of their choice through a series of one-to-one match-ups. Listeners must listen for fifteen seconds of each song before they can cast their vote, and then they don't get the same match-up again without listening and voting for several other acts as well. 

Which makes it almost impossible to abuse the system.

AndrewVictoria entered into The Intel Superstars Competition, which is the highest level of competition. Previous winners have been offered TV appearances such as Jimmy Kimmel Live and opening spots for Keith Urban. The event was open to Canadians this year for the first time. In the first round of competition, AndrewVictoria competed against others in their genre. After a few months of voting and exposure, the top 20 artists in each group formed a multi-genre cadre of 140 semi-finalists.

AndrewVictoria rose steadily through the rankings, ending up in the top 3. The top 20 finalists were then judged on these specific points:

1. Songwriting structure
2. Vocals
3. Presentation
4. Likeability
5. Musicianship
6. Quality of recording

Congratulations AndrewVictoria!

A Rich Year of Opportunity for AndrewVictoria

The Hamilton duo, comprised of Andrew Rudd and Victoria Boland, has been taking lots of initiative in recent months. Like all entrepreneurial musicians, they are working hard at the invisible part of the music business: making connections, engaging fans, responding to opportunities, following up with promoters, applying for music festivals, and in general building relationships. Their aim is simply to share their music and song-writing with an ever-widening audience, all the while being true to what they believe they are called to do.

Accolades flow freely from audiences and fans in the dozens of venues, songwriting competitions, shocases and festivals they've played in around the GTA. Just a week ago, they performed for the Songwriters Association of Canada's (SOC) Indie Week showcase at Czehoski's in Toronto. Back in July Repeat Yesterday won "Best Song of the Year" category in the Barrie New Music Festival.

In Hamilton, they are grateful for hometown recognition and don't take it for granted. The past year has been a whirlwind of activity and experience. Here are a few highlights: September 2011 - successful audition for Canada's Got Talent (Martin Short as host). Very positive first showings and affirmation from the producers required them to commit blocks of time to potential live TV sessions all through the winter. (Here's the story as told by Victoria). In January Victoria was named Female Vocalist of the Year by Image FM. February also included a performance with Brian Melo at the Sylvester Stallone gala at Carmen's, and performance at the multi-day Winterfolk Music Festival, Toronto. The summer was full of shows including an opening for Ian Thomas with Brian Melo, a lunchtime Ferguson Station concert for the Downtown Hamilton BIA, and a fundraiser picnic for Bridges To Community Canada. The BTCC event is an annual event that AndrewVictoria have been involved with regularly. BTCC helps raise money for construction projects in needy areas overseas.

The Intel Superstars award is an affirmation of the talent and hard work.

As we chat over a meal at Rankin's on Main Street East, I'm impressed once again by the honesty and integrity of these two. What a great addition they are to the music life of Hamilton. Life takes some strange twists and turns, they say. "Repeat Yesterday would not have been written if it were not for a last minute decision on their part to enter the Hamilton 24 Festival competition in 2011," Boland says. "So often, we take initiative and apply to enter a festival, competition, or showcase and there is no response, let alone helpful feedback." I'm left with no doubt that acknowledgement and respect for people is an important guiding principle for AndreVictoria.

Not Your Typical Song

Originally a film competition, the Hamilton 24 expanded to include music and other arts in 2011. The entrants had 24 hours to write a song with three characteristics. First, it had to include clapping or knocking; second, it had to include "I can't tell you" in the lyrics; third, it had to include the theme of waking up. With inspiration coming in the wee hours of the night as time was running out, things finally clicked.

Here's the brilliant piece of work that was born. Click here to listen.

Repeat Yesterday

by AndrewVictoria

You knocked me out, blew me away
You stole my words so I had nothing to say
You made me yours, your sweet endeavor
I can’t tell you but it lasts forever
All those times I heard people say
That waking up would be okay

Hold my hand just a little bit longer
I feel your strength and it’s making me stronger
Kiss me once, make the world go away
And serenade me back to sleep so we repeat yesterday

It wasn’t long for me to realize
That what I saw in you, you saw in my eyes
A perfect stranger in my dreamland
You woke me up, you helped me stand
I had my doubts but you proved me wrong
And now I ever wonder how it took so long

Hold my hand just a little bit longer
I feel your strength and it’s making me stronger
Kiss me once, make the world go away
And serenade me back to sleep so we repeat yesterday

So, what do you think? 

Leave a comment about AV's performance, and your thoughts about the song.

You can buy AndrewVictoria's EP at their website http://andrewvictoria.com

The Killin' Time Band - Live To Internet Performance - ImageFM

Only 81 views for this???
Should be 8100!
Don't believe me? Listen for yourself, and spread the link around.

Don't Fret! The Guitar Shop is Moving to Waterdown

NOTE: The Don't Fret guitar shop is now closed (April 2022)

Don’t Fret! We’re Only Moving to Waterdown

Burlington’s well-established guitar shop, Guitar Repairs by Don’t Fret, has been located at the corner of New Street and Guelph Line long enough for its owner, Bob Kirkpatrick, to be able to share stories with a “back in the day” reminiscent tone.

Don’t Fret is one of a few guitar shops remaining in the region. Kirkpatrick restores, repairs and sells all kinds of guitars and all stringed instruments. Considering the challenges and rewards of restoring vintage guitars, a perfect day is when you get to behold a beautifully preserved, restored, or customized guitar in all its design and aesthetic beauty, and then after having set it up just the way its owner wanted it, the musician picks it up and makes it sing.

Restoring Playability, Beauty and Desirability

Don’t Fret’s customers come from all over the region, and Kirkpatrick’s relationships with some of them go back to the early days when he was doing guitar instruction. He recalls the time when a very young Carl Jennings (Freedom Train) took a few bass lessons from him at a music shop called Guitar Man, and then years later Jennings ended up establishing Westmoreland Recording Studios in the lower level of the shop. Jennings has since moved his operations to Hamilton where he continues to build his excellent reputation in music production.

“It blows me away what Carl can do vocally while playing the bass,” Kirkpatrick says, commenting on Jenning's present work with Freedom Train.

Bob plays the Voyageur

Kirkpatrick also fondly remembers how local up-and-coming players Tim Jennings, Trevor Howard, Adam Ostrosser, Adam Cooke, and Andrew MacTaggart would frequent the store. “Andrew started here as a co-op student and then stayed on. He kept on plugging away at his guitar skills. Some people who saw the spark in his eyes invited him out to jam, and eventually he was playing around, doing shows and went out on the road. Turns out now he’s writing songs with Tomi Swick, and has been doing shows with Brian Melo and Tara Oram.” Kirkpatrick makes regular visits to Hamilton's Augusta street rooms to keep tabs on his fellow musicians.

The Burlington location has been successful. Kirkpatrick’s determination to continue strongly in business at the Waterdown location has brought him to closing the Burlington shop.

There are only a few days left before all is packed up and moved up the hill to Mill Street in Waterdown. You can help lighten the packing by coming in and swinging a great deal!

The door closes at the Burlington location on October 31, 2012. Rumour has it that you will find a celebration of sorts at the Plough and Harrow just down the road.

But don't wait until then. Make sure you stop in and renew your acquaintance with Bob and his guitars. Store hours are 12 noon to 8 pm, Monday through Thursday; Friday and Saturday 12 to 4.

dontfret@sympatico.ca
905-333-8337 Burlington
905-689-9898 Waterdown

Laurel Swinden to Adjudicate Rotary Burlington Music Fest

From laurelswinden.com

Laurel Swinden

Avanti Flutes Artist Laurel Swinden is Principal Flute of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with Orchestra London, Georgetown Bach Chorale, and the Memphis, Tupelo, Mississippi, Kingston, Scarborough, and Oakville Symphonies. Ms. Swinden performs on chamber music series throughout Ontario with xTrio (flute, clarinet and piano trio), and with pianist Stephanie Mara.

Laurel is a Doctoral Candidate in Flute Performance and Fellowship recipient at the University of Toronto, where she studied with Nora Schulman and Alison Melville (traverso). Past influential teachers include Jeffrey Zook, Jim Walker, Chris Norman, Lisa Beznosiuk, Philippe-Alain Dupré, Fiona Wilkinson and Kathleen Rudolph. Ms. Swinden has been the recipient of both performance and academic awards and grants, including awards from the Canadian Federation of University Women, David and Marcia Beach Study Award, Tafelmusik scholarship, the Ontario Arts Council and the London Music Scholarship Foundation.

Laurel joined the faculty of the Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario in 2010, teaching Flute and directing the DWFOM Flute Ensemble. She is also an Instructor of Flute at the University of Guelph. Before returning to Canada in 2002, Laurel held a faculty position at the University of Mississippi

Ms. Swinden serves as a National Winds Examiner for Conservatory Canada. She has performed and presented workshops across the United States and Canada, with performances broadcast on NPR, premiering several works for flute, and flute with electronics.

A new CD with pianist Stephanie Mara; Celebrating Women: Music for Flute and Piano by Women Composers was released in summer 2012, assisted by a grant from the Waterloo Region Arts Fund.

Lefsetz Link: XBox Music

And I quote from Bob Lefsetz' latest post:

Streaming won.

That's right. While you were lauding the sonic quality of CDs, bitching about Spotify payments and repeating endlessly that no one wanted to rent music, technologists, not married to the past, enmeshed in a sphere of creative destruction, necessary in order to win, saw what the people wanted before they knew it and delivered it.

The number one music service today is YouTube. Can a dedicated music service supersede it? .

You can find the rest of the post here, as well as hundred of other relevant music business articles:

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/

Who Gets Into Our Musical Hall of Fame?

Hamilton’s Online Music Hall of Fame: Who Gets In?

Hi there.  I would first like to introduce myself.  My name is Angelo Noto Campanella. I was born and raised in Hamilton and have been writing about the local music scene for almost two years now.  I was excited when asked to write about the importance of having a "Hamilton Online Music Hall of Fame" site.  I had all these grandiose ideas of how I would go out and talk to some of our local musical legends about their experiences over the years and why they thought that a "Hamilton Online Music Hall of Fame" would be a good idea.  I actually did mention the idea to a couple of local legends and told them I would get in touch for a chat about it but these people have very busy schedules and my deadline was approaching fast. Something I haven't had to worry about since my college years.

I thought long and hard about the importance of having an online hall of fame and realized that I've been doing the research for this article since I've started writing about our vibrant music scene.  Every band I've interviewed, and almost every musician I speak to, talks about their early recollections of the music they heard in this city throughout the years. I remember going to Hamilton Place while in grade school to see Boris Brott conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra. I also remember seeing Jackie Washington at Gage Park during The Festival of Friends and sneaking into Duffy's Rockpile at 14 years old to hear The Forgotten Rebels. The music of these sons and daughters of Hamilton are all part of the soundtrack of our lives. Having a "Hamilton Online Music Hall of Fame" give us a place to reflect on our famous musicians, music history and their contributions to Canadian and local culture.

I know that this article sounds like an essay out of the movie A Christmas Story where Ralphie writes about wanting that Red Ryder B.B. gun, but a hall of fame site would be a Christmas present to all Hamiltonians and the world honoring the contributions of music this city has produced through out the years.

 

For the past eight months or more Cody Lanktree of Hamilton Seen has been putting together a documentary of the music scene going on in Hamilton right now. CBC has moved into the downtown core and is actively filming and interviewing some of the amazing musicians that our fair city is producing. Turns out that the news of our city's music scene is spreading fast.  A Hamilton Online Music Hall of Fame site will document the history of what this city has contributed to the music world and maybe educate us as to musicians that have come from here that we never knew about. 

Here’s my list of some of the famous musicians from Hamilton that I've seen:  Jackie Washington, Tom Wilson, Boris Brott, Ian Thomas, Richard Newell (King Biscuit Boy), Sonny Del Rio, Forgotten Rebels, Teenage Head, Daniel Lanois, Skip Prokop (Lighthouse), Lorraine Segato (Parachute Club)... and these are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. 

Which famous Hamilton musicians do you remember?

 I'm sure we missed a ton. Let us know by adding a comment.

Burlington Concert Band: A Night At The Movies

Máté Szigeti, soloist with Burlington Concert Band

A Night At The Movies, with Special Guest Soloist Máté Szigeti

by Glen T Brown

The standing ovation for flautist Máté Szigeti was well deserved last night at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. He had accomplished all of the requisite flexibility and agility requirements in his performance of Carnival of Venice, and the significance of the feat was not lost on the audience. I knew I was watching and hearing someone special when I heard him playing the “grace notes” variation. That particular section requires the expert player to drop an octave from the embellished grace note to the main note in a split second. The result sounds like two people playing at once. Szigeti nailed it. When he topped it off with flawless flying fingers and clean, fast articulation we were all convinced of his credentials!

The great thing about community bands like the Burlington Concert Band is that players from all skill levels get to make music together. It’s a nice act of generosity that retired or semi-retired professional musicians may join a community band to keep their skills up, and to stay engaged with the local scene. Combine them with a few eager high school students and a variety of people from every walk of life and you have a cross section of the local musical community.

The Burlington Concert Band, now in its 104th year of active service, has successfully rounded out its membership. Fifty-six members took the stage consisting of eleven flutes, one bassoon, six clarinets, two bass clarinets, six saxophones, three horns, eleven trumpets, five trombones, four baritones, three tubas and four percussionists. In an ideal world we might wish that a few of the trumpet players or saxophone players might switch to oboe, horn, or clarinet, but that won’t be happening anytime soon! Even so, the band achieved a good balance and very good overall tone and intonation throughout the evening.

The Burlington Concert Band consistently delivers a high quality ensemble sound due to the deep skill levels of each of the members, and their commitment to high performance standards.

Trombonist/band president Harland Marshall, acting as emcee, obligingly shared anecdotal and historical notes to introduce each selection. Marshall’s diligent work leading the band executive has been evident in recent months in the consistent and clear marketing of band events and regular engagement and email communication with band personnel. The result has been reflected in solid ticket sales and enthusiastic audiences.

Director of Music, Dundas native and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Don Allan chose appropriate repertoire of which this symphonic band is capable. With Allan’s extensive background in conducting and musical performance it was surprising the band did not play with more energy, confidence, and immediacy in some of the sections where cinematic excitement and energy is needed. The upper brass and percussion seemed a little pensive and should be encouraged to “go for it” in those moments. It seemed that towards the end of the long pieces, the band lost its focus and was unable to build properly to a big finish. With a band comprised of experienced and mature musicians such as this, I'm left wondering why those defining moments were not as clearly executed as they could have been.

Squadron 617, The Third Wave,
by Bruce Mackay, International Auto and Aero Artist
http://www.bruce-mackay.com/Provenance

For example, in The Dam Busters the cinematic moment is an air raid with planes flying low across the water under enemy fire, dropping “bouncing” bombs which then explode triumphantly on their target. This musical moment, as described in the score, requires more than a drum kit foot pedal on the bass drum and should have been backed up by a double forte, heavy mallet on the full sized concert bass drum that was on stage. The timpani, snare drum and cymbal parts needed to triple their volume level to maximize the explosive capability of those instruments. This is not a decision for the players, but for the conductor.

I was surprised that some of these important musical moments slipped by without due consideration and maintenance of all the musical elements, perhaps due to the oversimplified strategy of simply getting through the piece at a lively tempo.

Concert Highlights

Hollywood Milestones (arr. John Higgins) was a nice opener. It included excerpts from Jaws, Love Story, Empire Strikes Back, Chariots of Fire  and others.

The Drama of the Dam Busters story as illustrated on Wikipedia.

The Dam Busters (arr. W.J. Dutoit) classic concert band arrangement kept a lively tempo throughout, and the band was able to execute cleanly. It was very nice to hear the glockenspiel and flute colour combinations, and the excitement created by the timpani. Low brass, as always in this ensemble, were full and solid throughout. The music was written for the movie of the same name, which tells the valiant story of Air Force Squadron 617’s Operation Chastise during WWll.


Concertino (Cécile Chaminade, arr. Clay Wilson) featured flautist Máté Szigeti in his first feature with the band. With his top-notch European training (Franz Liszt Academy of Music), years of experience in symphony orchestras including a ten year stint as principal flautist and soloist with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra, and solo appearances around the world making up his list of experiences, Szigeti is wonderfully involved in Hamilton’s musical life. He was a featured soloist with the Dundas Valley Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra, and a participant in several chamber concerts around the Golden Horseshoe. At the present he is a Music Director of the Hamilton City Ballet Orchestra and teaching flute at Hillfield Strathallan College and the Hamilton Academy of Performing Arts (Dundas). Concertino was an enjoyable tone poem, capably accompanied by the band. The sensitive blending of the clarinets, horns and other woodwinds was especially noticeable in the opening section.

Superman (arr. Bob Lowden), was next. In my opinion, the music from the original Superman movie stands apart from the other heroic John Williams themes of the era, such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, and The Empire Strikes Back, for purely technical and analytical reasons. The bugle call opening 13 note fanfare is classic, reminiscent of another space theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey - Thus Spake Zarathustra (R. Strauss). When combined with the 12/8 march and its exciting snare drum embellishments the music instantly creates a setting of science fiction excitement! My enthusiasm waned slightly when the big moments were not as big as hoped. The tempo of the love theme was too fast, leaving the horn soloist almost no room for expression, and it would have been lovely and perfectly acceptable to relax and enjoy the moment. Why would Superman rush through the moment when he first got to fly with Lois Lane? Wouldn’t he want it to last forever?

Darryl Eaton was the trumpet soloist in The Man With a Horn. Eaton, being a master of the instrument with an impeccable performance and educational resume, was the logical choice for the solo. He made the trumpet sing. I can only assume that in his humility he declined the offer to come up to the front of the stage for his number, but remained seated instead. An enthusiastic round of applause was given when he stood for a bow at the end.

Special Ensembles

The Burlington Concert Band holds two trump cards: a saxophone quartet called Sax ‘n Sync and a flute ensemble. Lynda Eady, known to many for her music teaching with the Halton District School Board, and also the assistant conductor for the concert band, directs the flute ensemble. These two groups really enriched the evening. Sax ‘n Sync entertained in the lobby during intermission, and the flute ensemble was featured on stage. Both of the ensembles extend the band’s outreach by playing at various community events.

Bobby Herriot’s arrangement of Hooray for Hollywood allowed the Burlington Flute Ensemble a generous opportunity to shine. The bass and alto flute added depth to the ensemble sound and tutti sections.

Moon River (arr. James Christensen) was written with great sensitivity to the nuances and features of a flute ensemble. Being just the right length, it presented the melody and a few variations that featured the various combinations and textures inherent to the ensemble.

Dancing With Pirates?

The band returned in full force with Dirty Dancing (arr. Jack Bullock) and Pirates of the Caribbean (arr. Ted Ricketts). Both selections contained ample opportunities for the audience to connect with familiar movie moments. Szigeti performed his second and third features The Swiss Shepherd (arr. Nora Kile) and Carnival of Venice, then the band wrapped up the evening with Dances With Wolves (arr. Jay Bocook).

The Swiss Shepherd was delightful. The band accompaniment throughout the variations was tasteful and flexible, including a duet with the piccolo!

The Burlington Concert Band looks very good in its stage presentation. Every music stand is decorated with a banner bearing decorative BCB initials, and all personnel are dressed in black concert attire.

The next performance of the Burlington Concert Band is entitled Sounds of Christmas X. It takes place at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre on Friday, December 7, 2012 at 8 p.m.

www.burlingtonconcertband.ca

by Glen T Brown
October 13, 2012