Keene State College Jazz Plays Music From the Movies
KEENE, N.H. 4/4/02 - The Keene State College Jazz Ensemble will play “Music from the Movies” in their annual spring concert on Wednesday, May 1. The program, which will include music from popular films such as “The Pink Panther” and “The Blues Brothers,” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Theatre of the Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond. Tickets are $7 for general public and $5 for KSC faculty, staff, students, senior citizens, and youth 17 and under. Call the box office at 603-358-2168.
Keene State artist-in-residence Don Baldini will direct the Jazz Ensemble through a program that includes music from such classic films as “The Wizard of Oz” and “Casablanca” and lesser-known works from “Witchcraft” and “Green Dolphin Street.” The Ensemble also will play selections from Henry Mancini’s music for the TV show “Peter Gunn,” which received a Grammy Award for best album of the year in 1958.
Trumpet player Steve Sonntag from southern Vermont will be the guest soloist during the concert, and Walt Sayre, fine arts coordinator for Fall Mountain Schools, will return as a featured trombonist. Sayre also is the organist/choir director of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Walpole. He has performed with Urbie Green, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Woody Herman, Sy Oliver, The Raylynmor Opera, and the Royal Academy of Dance.
In addition to conducting the Jazz Ensemble, Baldini also directs the KSC Chamber Orchestra. He came to Keene State after a professional career as a studio musician in Los Angeles. Baldini appeared for 13 years with The Tonight Show Orchestra and toured with Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Peggy Lee, and the Harry James and Toshiko-Akyoshi/Lew Tabakkin bands. He currently performs with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Dartmouth Symphony, Opera North, the Keene Chamber Orchestra, and several local chamber music and jazz groups. Baldini, who lives in Saxtons River, Vt., also teaches at Dartmouth College.
