Swingin’ into Spring at Central

Students at Westosha Central High school rehearse during school on the morning of May 5 for the upcoming spring concerts under the direction of Adam Scheele (Nicholas Ravnikar/The Report).
Students at Westosha Central High school rehearse during school on the morning of May 5 for the upcoming spring concerts under the direction of Adam Scheele (Nicholas Ravnikar/The Report).

From Spider-Man theme to Brian Setzer orchestra

If you go…

What: Spring Band Concert

When: Sunday, May 15, 2:30 p.m.

What: Spring Jazz Concert

When: Wednesday, May 25, 7 p.m.

Lowdown: Both concerts at Westosha Central High School are free


By Nicholas Ravnikar
Correspondent

Two free concerts are slated at Westosha Central High School this month – one featuring various band ensembles and the second a spring jazz concert.

The band concert takes place on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., and the jazz concert will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25. Both events are free.

Band director Adam Scheele said audiences can expect a variety of styles at each event.

Movie themes are one trend that runs through the evening for a few of the bands playing in the May 15 concert. Familiar tunes from Harry Potter, Spider-Man and Star Wars will be featured by the concert band, symphonic band and wind ensemble respectively.

Scheele said he picked the movie themes from films the students watched on the band’s spring break trip to Florida.

“I usually program lighter, more ‘fun’ tunes for the spring concert,” he said. “I also want to perform standard selections as well.”

Older, enduring compositions will also make an appearance. The saxophone choir will perform a Baroque standby, “Fugue XXII from the Well-Tempered Clavier,” by J.S. Bach. A slightly earlier work by Venetian school composer Giovanni Gabrielli will be given a rendition by the Flute Choir.

The percussion ensemble will also perform contemporary composer Chris Brooks’ “Bound for Marakesh,” and the brass ensemble will take up “A Centennial Fanfare” by 20th Century composer John Zdechlik.

The jazz concert later in the month will include selections from a variety of arrangements by legends in the genre. Appearing in the lineup are songs by Miles Davis, Glenn Miller, Bronislau Kaper, and Brian Setzer.

Aficionado status is not required for enjoyment, according to Scheele, and even audience members who don’t jive on jazz will recognize much of the swing-styled set list.

“They are heard through commercials, sporting events, movies, etcetera,” Scheele said. “The audience should get that ‘Oh yeah, I’ve heard this song before but didn’t know the name of the tune type of feeling.”

The full story appears in the May 13 edition of the Westosha Report


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