Program Notes continued -

performed work. Reed studied composition with Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and Arnold Schoenberg, among others. He taught at Michigan State University from 1939 to 1976. Born in 1910, Reed currently resides in Athens GA with his wife - at the age of 102!

Sleigh Ride, Bugler's Holiday - Famous for his "concert music with a pop quality" (his own words), Leroy Anderson (1908 - 1975) possessed not merely a skill in technique and a rich melodic gift, but also an engaging sense of humor. He was particularly successful in creating descriptive pieces that effectively borrowed sounds and rhythms of the extra-musical world , such as the ticking of a clock, the clicking of a typewriter, and the ringing of sleigh bells.

Upcoming Alpharetta High School Band Events

~ ih Annual AHS Winter Band Clinic (ALL BAND STUDENTS) February 3~4 @ AHS

)r- LGPE Preview Concert - February 9, AHS Theatre

)r- GMEA District 5 Large Group Performance Evaluation February 28-29 @ Benjamin E. Mays HS

)r- Festival Disney, March 30 - April 4, Orlando, FL

For the MOST up to date Band information and scheduling, please visit our website at www.alpharettaband.org

Special Thanks .. . to our WONDERFUL Band Booster Organization for their continued

support!

I · I

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CDecem6er 8, 2011, 7:00 rpgy[

jl£pharetta High Schoo{q'fieatre

Dr. Robert Avossa, Fulton County Superintendent Dr. Victor.Shandor, Area Superintendent

Katie Reeves, School Board Representative Mr. John LaForge, Coordinator of Music Education

Shannon N. Kersey, Principal, Alpharetta HighSchool Michael J. Walsh, Director of Bands

.4

Program

AHSPercussion Ensemble 1

Mi Milagro .............. .. ....... .... .. . .. .. ... .... . .. . ..... ...... . ... ..... .. ..... Ralph Hicks Rechargeable Batterie ......... .. ............. .. . _ ............. ......... .. ...... ... Eric Rath The Christmas Song ...... .............. .. .... .. .. ...... .. ..... TormlWells. arr. Gipson

Conductor - McKinley Stinson

Alpharetta High School Symphonic Band II Christmas Calypso ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... .. .... ..... . .. . ..... . ..... ..... Stephen Bulla A Celebration of Hanukkah .. . ......... ........... ... ...... ..... ... ... .... Howard Rowe Paper CU.t ..... . ... ... .. ...... .... ... ........ ...... ... ... ....... ... ...... ....... Alex Shapiro

Conductor - Erin Fleming, Student Teacher, University of Georgia

Alpharetta High School Symphonic Band I Foundry (2011) ... ... .. . ....................................................... John Mackey On A Hymnsong Of Philip Bliss .................................... David R. Holsinger Carol Of The Bells (Ukrainian Carol) ........ . ... .... ..... .... . arr. Davis I Longfield

Chamber Winds Mock Morris ... .. ......... . ...... .... .. ... .. .......... .... , .. Percy Grainger. arr. Kreines

Alpharetta HighSchool Wind Ensemble Entry March Of The Boyars .................... ............ ... Halvorsen. arr. Fennell Bugler's Holiday ........ . .................. .......................... Anderson I Edwards

Trpt. Trio: Ryan LeQuier, Milen Patel, Giovanni Sessoms

La Fiesta Mexicana ... .. ............. ...... .. .... .......................... H. Owen Reed 2. Mass 3. Carnival

Sleigh Ride ... ..... ...... ............. ... .... .. ........ ....... ... .. .... .... Leroy Anderson

Our concerts are recorded. Out of respect for the performers: » Turn off all cell phones for the duration of the concert. » Refrain from talking during any performance. » No flash photography during performance. » Please enter or leave the auditorium between selections only.

Program Notes

Christmas Calypso - The music of the Caribbean is known for its rhythmic vitality. Christmas Calypso features a traditional Caribbean Christmas song. known as Mary's Boy Child. The calypso beat is still one of the Caribbean's most popular styles today.

A Celebration of Hanukkah - This delightful medley of Hanukkah music includes Y'malei; Maoz Tzur; The Oreydl Song; Chanukah Chag Yafe Kol Kachand Hanerot Halalu. Each song is presented with a different combination of instruments adding to the variety and color of the overall work.

Paper Cut - Music isn't just melody; it's rhythm and texture as well. The unusual element of paper and the myriad sounds that can emerge from something so simple offers a fresh view of what music-making can be and opens everyone's ears to the sonic possibilities found among everyday objects.

Foundry - In the summer of 201 0 John Mackey was commissioned by a consortium of 8 middle and high school bands to write a new work. ''Wouldn't it be cool, as a percussionist, when you first realized that playing percussion wasn't just hitting a snare drum or playing a glockenspiel, but it also meant finding non-traditional instruments like trash Cans and brake drums? Why not write the piece that could be the first to expose young perCUSSionists to this concept?" This quote from Mackey's blog by a contributor known as "AEJ" was the inspiration for "Foundry." The work is based on "found" percussion such as "piles of metal," "pieces of wood," and a "clang" (whatever that is!)­to be played by 12 percussionists.

On A Hymnsong Of Philip Bliss is a restful, gentle, and reflective composition based on the 1876 Philip Bliss - Horatio Spafford hymn, "It is Well with my Soul". This composition was written as a gift to honor the retiring Principal of SGCA and premiered in May 1989.

Carol Of The Bells - the actual "Carol of theBeU" was writteri in 1916 by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovich and titled "Shchedryk". The lyrics of the song tell the tale of a swallow flying into a household to pro.claim the plentiful year that the family will have. The swallow is a herald of spring coming . Tonight's version is arranged by Mannheim Steamroller, so it has a bit of ·steam" behind it!

Mock Morris was written in 1910 as a birthday gift fOT Grainger's mother using 'string six-some or string-band' and was dished-up twice for piano in both ' concert' and 'popular' versions. Mock Morris is a fine example of a Grainger work which appears to be folksong-based but which is in fact, an original.

Entry March of the Boyars is an orchestral composition from 1893. The music is a descriptive work about the entry of the Romanian boyars into Bucharest, Romania in the eighteenth century. The melody quickly became an international success. This melody has been used as a signature tune for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation's weekly radio show since 1950.

La Fiesta Mexicana - from the composer: "After hearing much infectious music in Mexico City I decided to write a Mexican folk song symphony depicting a typical fiesta ." In the second movement he used a chant from the Liber Usua/is (book of Gregorian chant) . In movement three he incorporated a commonly played mariachi tune , EI Son de /a Negra. La Fiesta Mexicana has become his best known and most widely

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