LSRHS Spring Instrumental Concert

On Thursday May 12, at 7:30 PM, the Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School Music large instrumental ensembles will perform in the final concert of the instrumental season.  Directed by instrumental music director Thomas Grandprey, the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Orchestra are featured separately, and all together in the concert finale of music from the Disney movie “The Lion King”.  Student-led groups, the Guitar Combo, Violin Ensemble, and the Flute Choir will also perform.

The bands and the orchestra recently won top awards at the 2011 MICCA Music Festival in April.  Held this year at Lexington High School, the festival is an annual competition and educational platform for high school and middle school singers and instrumentalist in their ensembles.  Grandprey regularly takes the large ensembles to the MICCA festival, where they repeatedly are granted high honors.  This year the Symphonic and Concert Bands received Bronze medals, and the Silver medal went to the Orchestra.  The ensembles also had the chance to work under some big names in collegiate music education:  The bands rehearsed under the direction of Larry Blocher, professor of music at Troy (Alabama) University, and Lanfranco Marcelletti, Jr. director of the Orchestra program at UMass Amherst led the orchestra members.  “It’s always a thrill to perform and place at the annual MICCA festivals, but the opportunity for exposure to different ideas and styles of the university directors is especially a treat for these aspiring musicians”, Grandprey reflects.

The roster of players and works on the spring concert is as varied as it is exciting.  The Concert Band starts the show with the Infernal Dance and Finale (from the ballet The Firebird) by Igor Stravinsky.  In this famous ballet, the hero Prince Ivan is assisted by the Firebird when Ivan’s nemesis Kashchei the Immortal sends his magical creatures to torment him.  The Firebird bewitches the creature, subduing them by forcing them into a frenetic and exhausting dance.  Collapsing following the frenzy, they are unable to harm Ivan.  Stravinsky is followed by the well-known march by John Sousa, The Thunderer.  In this new and historically accurate edition of one of Sousa's most endearing and popular marches, Sousa scholars Brion and Schissel have created a marvelous edition from Sousa's original parts.  This edition is officially authorized by" John Philip Sousa, Inc," the family corporation. A great march classic!

The smaller, student-led Guitar Combo and Flute Choir follow, and lead the way back to the larger sound of the LS Orchestra.  LS Senior Emily Siegel is featured soloist in the Ice Sculptures by Brian Balmages.  This lyrical work draws its inspiration from ice hotels; temporary hotels made entirely of ice and snow. Strong elements of film scoring prevail throughout the work as it tells the story of the construction, visitors, and eventual melting of such a hotel.  Sixteenth century composer Samuel Scheidt’s Canzona Bergamasca is an intensely polyphonic form where each musical line imitates and echoes one another. Although brass arrangements of this work are extremely popular, this piece was originally composed for strings.

Selected movements from the masterwork Pictures from an Exhibition of Russian Modest Mussorgsky offered are Promenade, The Gnome, The Old Castle, The Tuileries Gardens ñ Children Quarrelling at Play, The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks, The Hut of Baba-Yaga, and The Great Gate of Kiev.   Mussorgsky composed the tone poem in 1874 for solo piano, and then later made an orchestra arrangement.  The very popular arrangement and recording in 1971 by the British rock trio Emerson, Lake, and Palmer brought the masterwork to many listeners who might not otherwise be exposed to classical music.

The LS Violin Ensemble follows the Orchestra and leads the way for the Symphonic Band.  The Band performs two works.  Choreography by Robert Sheldon is written in overture form, and draws its inspiration from dance movements found in contemporary stage, ballet and theatrical productions. Fast-paced angular gestures accompanied by rapid rhythmical punctuations provide a thrilling opening before yielding to a contrasting lyrical section with long, flowing lines that offer many opportunities for expressive playing. 

The band closes the first half with The Washington Post March another march by Sousa.  In 1889 owners of The Washington Post newspaper requested the then-leader of the Marine Band to compose a march for the newspaper's essay contest awards ceremony. Sousa obliged, and it was first performed on June 15, 1889 at the ceremony and was an instant hit. It led to a British journalist dubbing him "The March King." (source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_post_march).

The second half begins with presentation of for academic and musical excellence, followed by and recognition of graduating seniors.  The grand finale of the concert brings together more than 130 LS musicians to perform the John Higgins arrangement for orchestra of tunes form the Disney movie “The Lion King”, featuring the well-known tunes Circle Of Life, Hakuna Matata, Be Prepared, I Just Can't Wait To Be King and Can You Feel The Love Tonight?  Several graduating seniors will be spotlighted in solos. 

Admission is free; Snack foods and drink are will be sold by the LS Friends of Music. Concession sales contribute to fund enhanced music opportunities for LS music students.  For more information, email events@lsfom.org  or call the school music department at 978-443-9961, extension

On Thursday May 19, at 7:30 PM, the LS choral department, under the direction of Michael Bunting, presents the annual community sing event, a performance of John Rutter’s Requiem, with the LSRHS Civic Orchestra and community chorus.  Community members interested in singing in this event may contact Mr. Bunting by email at Michael_bunting@lsrhs.net or call him at the school at 978-443-9961, extension 2210.