Ridgewood HS Bands to Hold Free Winter Concert Dec. 10

The Ridgewood High School Bands will perform their annual Winter Concert on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

The concert, which will be held in the Ridgewood High School Campus Center, will begin at 7:30 p.m. and admission is free. This concert will feature the school’s three curricular bands - the Symphonic Band, Concert Band and Wind Ensemble.

The RHS Symphonic Band, conducted by John Luckenbill, will present a program that includes “Our Kingsland Spring” by Samuel R. Hazo and “Amen” by Frank Ticheli. The RHS Concert Band, conducted by Jeffrey Haas, will perform a program featuring John Philip Sousa’s “King Cotton,” as well as Steven Reineke’s renowned programmatic work, “Fate of the Gods.”

“King Cotton” is one of Sousa’s most famous marches, written in 1895 for the Cotton States and International Exposition. The expression “King Cotton” refers to the historically high importance of cotton as a cash crop in the southern United States.

“ Fate of the Gods,” was inspired by tales of Nordic mythology, and tells the story of Ragnarok, also known as the Twilight of the Gods. An incredible war between forces of good and evil is fought, bringing about the end of the cosmos. After the destruction, a new and idyllic world will arise and this new earth will be filled with only joy and abundance.

The Wind Ensemble, also conducted by Haas, will present a program featuring “Fanfare and Flourishes for a Festive Occasion” by James Curnow, a piece originally written for British Brass Band based on Charpentier’s “Te Deum” (Latin for “you god”.) The Wind Ensemble will also be performing “Along an English Countryside,” a new piece by Richard Saucedo written in the style of famous British composer Malcolm Arnold, and “Variations on a Korean Folk Song,” a staple of modern band literature by John Barnes Chance based upon the Korean folk melody, “Arirang”

The Ridgewood High School Band Program is Bergen County’s largest, comprised of more than 230 students who participate in no fewer than 15 varied musical ensembles. The curricular bands, marching band, jazz ensembles, chamber ensembles, winter color guard and twirlers have been acclaimed locally, regionally and nationally for superior performance. Individually, members of the Ridgewood High School Bands are chosen annually to perform in honor ensembles at the county, regional and state levels.