Concert Band
he Keene State College Concert Band will present its first concert of the academic year on Thursday, Nov. 21st at 7:30 in the Main Theater of the Redfern Arts Center. This concert, titled “Old and New,” will feature wind ensemble music from the earliest decades of both the 20th and 21st centuries. Featured composers include Gustav Holst and Percy Aldridge Grainger from the early decades of the 20th century, and modern wind band composers like Jess Langston Turner, John Mackey, David Biedenbender, and Michael Markowski.
The program begins with two works by Holst, and listeners will instantly recognize the compositional maturity developed between his early work (1911) and his later work (1928). Whereas the first applies traditional techniques to folk music in a pleasant, earthy way, the second is rich, complex, almost vocal, and innovative for its time. The second half of the program focuses on living composers and contains both some of the liveliest and also most sonorous music on the program. John Mackey’s This Cruel Moon blends traditional phrasing and instrumentation with modern sonorities to create a sense of aching yearning that is sure to move even the most stoic of listeners.
As in the program, so in the ensemble: The KSC Concert Band, under the direction of Dr. John Hart, comprises musicians ranging from first-year students to veteran performers, drawing from students, faculty, staff, and the greater Keene community. It is an ensemble dedicated to the highest level of musical study and performance, and to the performance and creation of new music by composers of marginalized populations.
The Concert Band rehearses on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and performs three concerts during the academic year. Any students, faculty, or staff of adequate ability interested in playing in the KSC Concert Band should contact the Director, Dr. John Hart at John.Hart@keene.edu.
To request accommodations for a disability, please contact the coordinator at least two weeks prior to the event.
