West Point Band announces Masterworks Concert Series

WEST POINT — The West Point Band will present its Masterworks Concert Series from January through May 2019 in Eisenhower Hall.
The band will highlight spectacular works written for wind band as well as popular orchestral transcriptions by major composers like Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Igor Stravinsky and John Adams.
The series also features a special performance by the West Point Jazz Ensemble celebrating Art Blakey’s 100th birthday, featuring special guest, jazz drummer Ralph Peterson.
As always, these concerts are free and open to all.
(Note: starting in 2019, all West Point Band concerts at Eisenhower Hall will be ticketed through Eventbrite. Reserve your free tickets in advance by visiting www.westpointband.com, or at westpointband.eventbrite.com.)
The schedule:
“American Journey”
Saturday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m.
(Snow date: Sunday, Jan. 20, 2 p.m.)
The Masterworks Concert Series kicks off with “American Journey,” a melodic mix of American music from masters of our time, including selections from John Williams’ American Journey, Set No. 3 of Timothy Broege’s Three Pieces for American Band and Alex Shapiro’s celebratory Homecoming.
The musicians also will travel across the pond with a performance of British composer Peter Graham’s sentimental and virtuosic euphonium solo Brillante, featuring Staff Sgt. Phil Broome.
A sprinkling of Sousa marches along with some vocal jazz tunes sung by Master Sgt. MaryKay Messenger round out this entertaining program by the Army’s oldest band.
West Point Jazz Ensemble featuring Ralph Peterson: Art Blakey Centennial
Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Ike’s Riverside Café inside Eisenhower Hall
(Snow date: Thursday, Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m.)
The West Point Jazz Ensemble, comprised of members of the West Point Band, is proud to present this concert featuring music of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in celebration of the Art Blakey Centennial and African American History Month.
The West Point Jazz Ensemble welcomes consummate drummer, bandleader and educator Ralph Peterson as a distinguished guest for this event.
“Short Ride Fast Machine”
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2 p.m.
(Snow date: Sunday, Feb. 24, 2 p.m.)
The artistry of the West Point Band is on full display in this sophisticated and virtuosic program featuring seminal works for symphonic winds, including Felix Mendelssohn’s Overture for Winds, Op. 24 and Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments.
The driving energy and excitement of this work, featuring Sgt. 1st Class Yalin Chi on piano, propels us into John Adams’ joyfully exuberant Short Ride in a Fast Machine.
Both accessible and engaging, the concert concludes with a vocal tribute to great American songwriter Irving Berlin, followed by a heartfelt salute to all who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
“Glass Bead Game”
Saturday, March 16, 2 p.m.
(Snow date Sunday, March 17, 2 p.m.)
The West Point Band’s Masterworks series continues with this dynamic performance featuring powerhouse soloist Staff Sgt. Nicole Caluori in James Beckel’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated work, “The Glass Bead Game: Concerto for Horn and Orchestra.”
This program is a true wind band-lover’s delight, showcasing works by contemporary American composers, including Syntonos by Anne McGinty, Courage for Winds by Adrienne Albert, Errol Weiss Schlabach’s Poetic Structures,and With Each Sunset by Richard Saucedo.
This performance will also pay homage to the band’s home on the Hudson with a performance of Darius Milhaud’s West Point Suite, a little-known gem of the wind band repertoire written in honor of the Academy.
“Concert Concerto”
Saturday, May 11, 2 p.m.
In Concert Concerto, the West Point Band showcases the immense talent of not only its own members, but also those of featured West Point cadet soloists in a program that is rife with the sweeping melodies of your favorite Romantic composers.
This unique collaboration includes two of the most celebrated concertos for string instruments: the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No. 1 and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.
Sgt. 1st Class Yalin Chi follows with the tenderly wistful second movement of the Concerto for Piano by award-winning British composer Nigel Hess.
The band also gets its chance to shine in Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral by Richard Wagner.
Essentials• For concert information, cancellations, and updates, call 845 938-2617 or visit www.westpointband.com.
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