American Legacy Opens OSU Season

(poster design by Rollan Fell)

American Legacy Concert Features Two Orchestras and SUU Jazz Band

By Kirstin Beauchamp-Butt

The Orchestra of Southern Utah’s 2016-2017 concert season Musical Legacy opens on Thursday, October 13 with American Legacy, conducted by Carylee Zwang. The concert begins at 7:30 pm in the Heritage Theater and features collaborations with both Cedar High School Symphonic Orchestra and the Southern Utah University Jazz Band.  Heritage Theater is at 105 N. 100 East in Cedar City.

American music has many influences and has become the grounds for an eclectic collection of genres. OSU presents a snapshot of the variety of styles from Copland to cinema, to jazz and back to a march.

With performances on their own, CHS Symphonic Orchestra and the SUU Jazz Ensemble demonstrate the versatility within great music and different ensembles. Christina Carrigan directs the CHS Symphonic Orchestra. The group includes advanced high school students who must audition to participate in the orchestra. Ms. Carrigan's orchestras consistently earn high ratings at festivals - last school year both the CMS Advanced Orchestra and the CHS Orchestra qualified for state and earned superior ratings from all judges at the state level. They are playing three pieces by living American composers: Darkened Shadows by Joshua Reznicow, She Will Hang the Night With Stars by William Hofeldt, and Overture to the Wind by Kirt N. Mosier.

Under the direction of Dr. Thomas Herb, the SUU Jazz Ensemble plays In the Mood by Joe Garland, April in Paris by Vernon Duke, and Night in Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie. Dr. Herb is a published instrumental music education specialist with over two decades of experience and a skilled saxophonist.

The Orchestra of Southern Utah will complete the concert with the famous jazz piece Caravan, by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol, which is an American classic. The piece was first recorded in 1936 and incorporates Latin influences drawn from Tizol’s Puerto Rican background. Ellington is widely praised as one of the most influential jazz composers of all time and was a successful bandleader for over 50 years.

The beautiful Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morricone features Brad Gregory as soloist. Brad Gregory is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, and moved to Cedar City in July 2014 to accept a faculty position in the Department of Psychology at Southern Utah University. Going on his third year with OSU, Brad currently holds the Principal Oboe position with the OSU and has previously performed with the Raleigh Symphony and Raleigh Civic Symphony on oboe and English horn.  He also held principal positions in the Triangle Wind Ensemble, Triangle Wind Quintet, and Triangle Wind Octet while living in Raleigh.  Also a flutist, Brad is a founding member of the West Winds, a flute trio that performs throughout the area. The piece was composed as the main theme for the 1986 film The Mission, for which Morricone won a Golden Globe for Best Original Score.

Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin combines the OSU and Cedar High School Orchestra. The piece was copyrighted in 1899 and has influenced many ragtime compositions in the century since it was written. It is regarded as Joplin’s most successful work. Christina Carrigan directs this iconic piece.  She is the Cedar High Orchestra Director.

Sousa’s Free Lance March, also referred to as On to Victory, is one of John Philip Sousa’s most boisterous marches. Originally written as the main theme of his operetta “The Free Lance,” it has since become a popular standalone march that perfectly encapsulates the signature style and sound of Sousa.

The OSU will be joined by Cedar High School Orchestra to perform Aaron Copland’s famous Hoe Down. Written as the final movement of Copland’s Rodeo Ballet (which is often considered one of the first truly American ballets), it is fast, exciting, and a challenging showcase of any orchestra’s skill. Universally well-loved, it has been featured in many orchestras, film scores, and even the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Tickets are available at the Cedar City Heritage Theater Box Office or by calling 435-865-2882 or online at http://www.heritagectr.org/. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students, and $30 for groups up to 6. Because evening concerts are recorded, it is requested that babies and children under the age of six not attend. Children over the age of six are welcome at all OSU concerts with adult supervision.

For more information, please visit www.myosu.org, call the Orchestra of Southern Utah at (435) 233-8213, or emailosucedarcity@gmail.com.

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Listening Links to Preview Music:
 http://osulistening.blogspot.com/2016/10/american-legacy-music-what-makes-music.html

Program: http://www.orchestraofsouthernutah.org/concerts/american-legacy

For Calendars:

Oct. 13- American Legacy Concert, 7:30 p.m. Heritage Center, 7:30 p.m., Cedar City.  $10 adults, $5 students, groups of six $30.  Over age six welcome with adult supervision.  No babies please as concert is recorded. More info: www.myosu.org, call the Orchestra of Southern Utah at (435) 233-8213, or email osucedarcity@gmail.com.

 

CHS Orchestra Director Christina Carrigan

SUU Jazz Band Director Thomas Herb