138th Annual Concert THIS WEEKEND!

The theme of this concert is “Resplendence.”


The Quakertown Band'™s 138th Annual Concert will be held Sunday, March 22, 2015 at Strayer Middle School in Quakertown. The concert that begins at 2:30 PM with doors opening at 2:00 PM will include additional performers from the community in a tribute to Joe Blewett, as well members of a local high school brass section, who will provide antiphonal brass in the final composition of the concert.

The theme of this concert is 'Resplendence.'

One interpretation of resplendence is nobleness. This concert will recall the over 50 years of contributions to The Quakertown Band made by Joseph Blewett, the 11th conductor of the band. The nobleness of Joe's 20 year tenure as conductor from 1975 ' 1995 was evident in the legacy of his superb programming for the band and still continues today. Lynn (Blewett) Hasson has chosen several of her father's favorite selections to be recalled in a tribute to Blewett who passed away in July. They include: The Pearl Fishers Overture from Bizet'™s opera, That'™s Entertainment with melodies from old MGM movies.

Musicians who have performed under Mr. Blewett'™s baton in any band are invited to join the Quakertown Band in the Old Berks March by Althouse. Contact Lynn lhasson@quakertownband.org. if you are interested in joining the band for this performance.

Another selection that will portray nobleness in music will be a medley of tunes that commemorate the beginning of WW I and the nobleness the soldiers felt as they joined the "war to end all wars'. The medley includes portions of There'™s a Long, Long Trail, Bing! Bang! Bing 'Em On The Rhine, Keep The Home-fires Burning (Till The Boys Come Home), Keep Your Head Down, Fritzie Boy, and George M. Cohan'™s Over There!. Much of this arrangement has been put together from one hundred year old band music books from the Bauman Music Library, of Philadelphia'™s Liberty Concert Band.

A second interpretation of Resplendence is brilliance. Lee Hauslein, a member of the band since 1987, will brilliantly perform Debussy'™s Premiere Rhapsody for Clarinet and Band. Also, Teresa Scarlatella and Bruce Walters will be featured in the xylophone duet Texting Holiday, based on the melodies of Leroy Anderson'™s The Typewriter. Another brilliant selection is River of Life by Steven Reineke conducted by Al Zwart. Finally, Dick Ravenal'™s brilliant arrangement of Louis Prima'™s Sing, Sing, Sing will provide a variation of the familiar swing tune.

A third definition for resplendent is 'sublime' or 'awe-inspiring.' The band will end the concert with an awe-inspiring rendition of Praise to the Lord by Vaclav Nelhybel, an arrangement of Praise To The Lord The Almighty, Now Thank We All Our God and the Doxology . This selection, which includes antiphonal brass, will be featured as the climax of the concert.

While there is no admission fee for the concert, donations to the band are always appreciated.

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