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CONCERT NOTES
Tuxedo Junction
Erksine Hawkins (1914-1993), Buddy Feyne (1912-1998), Bill Johnson (1912-1960), Julian Dash (1916-1974)
Arr. John Caponegro
 “Tuxedo Junction” was introduced to the world by the Erksine Hawkins Orchestra, a college dance band. It rose to
number 7 on the national hit parade in 1939. The song was covered and recorded by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra and
was part of a Billboard Number 1 Album. Tuxedo Junction is about a jazz and blues club in the Birmingham, AL suburb
of Ensley. There was a streetcar crossing at Tuxedo Park, very near the club, which gave rise to the creation of the piece.
Canzona Bergamasca
Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) // Arr. Bob Lipton
 A canzona is a polyphonic composition form where each musical line imitates and echoes each other. A bergamasca is
an Italian Dance of the late Renaissance and Early Baroque time period. Samuel Scheidt, a German composer, did most
of his work for organ. He was the first internationally significant German composer for this instrument. Much of the rest
his compositions were fugues or dance suites. Canzona Bergamasca combines these two forms in an interesting way.
Yorkshire Ballad
James Barnes (1949-present)
 James Barnes is a composer and educator from Oklahoma. He studied and taught at the University of Kansas. Yorkshire
Ballad was written in 1985. It was originally scored for band, but was also orchestrated for full and string orchestra.
Barnes was inspired by pictures of the Yorkshire Dales in Northern England and composed in the style of Percy
Grainger’s “Irish Tune from County Derry.”
Cloudburst
Carl Strommen (1940-present)
 This piece was written to conjure images of a thunderstorm. The intensity and energy of these storms is present with the
accents, dynamics and articulations in the opening theme. There is a lyrical and calm contrast in the middle followed by
a reprise of the opening theme. Carl Strommen teaches composition and arranging at Long Island University. He began
his publishing career doing jazz and pop arrangements for youth groups, but branched out into composing and
distributing his own works.
Triumphal March from “Aida”
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) // Arr. John Caponegro
 “Aida” was an opera composed 1871 during Verdi’s late period. He was a very private person who composed many
operas (37). “Aida” is set in Egypt and depicts the story of the enslaved Ethiopian princess, Aida. She is the slave of
Anneris, the Pharoah’s daughter. An Egyptian General, Radames, is secretly in love with Aida, and she with him.
Anneris is also in love with Radames, but this love is unrequited. This love triangle becomes the center for the plot
twists of the opera. “Aida’s” popularity continues to this day and has been performed over 1100 times by the MET in
New York, NY.
Fantasia Espanola
Soon Hee Newbold (1974-present)
 Col legno, pizzicato, strum chords, tremolo and accents are just a few of the special techniques used in this Spanish
themed piece. Fantasia Espanola was commissioned in 2005 and depicts Spanish dancing, fiestas and the color and
pageantry of the bullfights. Newbold won many prestigious competitions as a soloist with her piano and violin. She
studied film scoring, orchestration and audio production at James Madison University and has worked on albums and
various recording projects in Orlando and Los Angeles.
Medley from “Aladdin”
Alan Menken (1949-present) // Arr. John Moss
 “Arabian Nights,” “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me” are highlighted in this medley. Alan Menken has many
acclaimed scores to his credit from his work with Disney. Besides “Aladdin,” he achieved Academy Award success with
“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Pocahontas.” In addition to his 8 Academy Awards, he has won 11
Grammy’s and a Tony award. He continues to compose and work on stage adaptions of films.
The Middle
James Adkins (1975-present), Thomas Linton (1975-present), Richard Burch (1975-present, Zachary Lind (1976-present)
 Jimmy Eat World is a rock band from Mesa, AZ. They were formed in 1993 and still tour and perform today. They have
recorded 8 studio albums. “The Middle” hit #5 on the Billboard Top 100 chart in July of 2001. The eighth note pulse
and speed have been exciting and challenging in our preparation for this evening.
Capriol Suite
Peter Warlock (1894-1930)
 British composer Peter Warlock composed the Capriol Suite based on tunes in Thoinot Arbeau’s Orchesographie, a
manual of Renaissance dances. The suite consists of six movements, four of them which we are performing. It was
originally scored for a piano duet, but was then expanded to string and full orchestra. Peter Warlock (real name Philip
Heseltine) did much of his work in music history and scholarship. He was also a music critic. Warlock’s life was cut
short because of carbon monoxide poisoning from a malfunctioning coal furnace.
Variations on Paganini
Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) // Arr. Robert McCashin
 Paganini was a violinist and composer whose legend is very far reaching in the string community. He spent his life
travelling as the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time. Part of his legend is the number of amazing instruments that
he played, owned and lost during his career. According to historians he had at least two Guarneri violins, 5 Stradivarius
violins, 2 Stradivarius violas and 2 Stradivarius cellos. Many of these instruments individually sell for millions of
dollars. Paganini also had Marfan syndrome, which results in unusual height and very long fingers/toes. His fingers
could stretch 3 octaves over 4 strings. This is almost a musical fifth more than standard violin technique. His 24th
Caprice is the theme that this composition is based from.
Mr. Blue Sky
Jeff Lynne (1947-present)
 Mr. Blue Sky was written in 1977 and included on ELO’s album Out of the Blue. In an interview with BBC Radio, Jeff
Lynne commented on the process he had while writing this album. He had locked himself in a Swiss chalet in an attempt
to isolate and focus. It was dark and misty for 2 weeks and he didn’t come up with anything. Suddenly the sun shone
and he was inspired by the beautiful Alps. He wrote Mr. Blue Sky and 13 other songs in the next 2 weeks.
Lion City
Soon Hee Newbold (1974-present)
 Singapore (Singa Pura = Lion City) was the location for the International Honor Orchestra Festival in 2009. Lion City
was commissioned for this festival. Lion City is reflective of the many cultures that make up Singapore. The beginning
starts with an ancient rainstorm, introducing Malay and Indian themes. The fast con fuoco sections are meant to depict
the rapid economic growth of Singapore. Cultures from the East and West meet as Chinese and contemporary melodies
are combined towards the end of the piece.
Don’t Stop Believin’
Jonathon Cain (1950-present), Neil Schon (1954-present), Steve Perry (1949-present) // Arr. Bob Phillips
 Don’t Stop Believin’ hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 list in 1981. It holds fame as one of the top selling digital songs
from a pre-digital era (6.4 million downloads and counting). Journey had their biggest run of success from 1978-1987.
They have sold over 47 million records and have had 18 top 40 singles. They, however, have never had a number one
hit. The only group with more is ELO, who have had 20 top 40 singles without a number one hit.
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