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USMA Band News West Point Saxophone Quartet Performs Concerto At Home And On The Road USMA
Band Wins Athletic Honors Famous Mouse Enthusiastic Over Group of Visiting “Cats” Serious Low Frequency - David Murray By George! - All Gershwin Concert Music Under the Stars - 1812 Overture Concert Trumpeter Vince DiMartino Performs with Concert Band and Jazz Knights Young Artists Perform With Concert Band USMA Band and Norwegian Musicians Convene
The
Regimental Brass Quintet (MSG Greg Alley, trumpet; SFC Marty Tyce,
trombone; SFC Gerald Cates, tuba; SSG Bryan Uhl,
trumpet; and SSG Troy Messner, horn) from the U.S. Military Academy Band
traveled to Oslo, Norway with the band’s commander, LTC(P) Thomas
Rotondi, Jr., and vocalist SFC MaryKay Messenger.
The quintet was invited to perform with the premier Norwegian
Army Band in Oslo
on February 27th. The
group rehearsed and performed with their Norwegian colleagues in the
fortress Akershus Slott.
This is one of
West
Point Saxophone Quartet Performs
At a concert at West Point on April 16th, the United States Military Academy band, under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Rotondi, Jr., premiered a new work commissioned by the band. The piece, entitled The Abundant Air: Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Band, by Perry Goldstein, was written for the West Point Saxophone Quartet and the Academy Band. World-renowned concert saxophonist Taimur Sullivan joined West Point Saxophone Quartet members Sergeant First Class Wayne Tice, Staff Sergeants Christopher Rettie, and Brian Broelmann as soloists for the premiere. The West
Point Saxophone Quartet, Taimur Sullivan, and Perry Goldstein traveled to USMA
Band Wins Athletic Honors
Famous
Mouse Enthusiastic Over Group of Visiting “Cats” The Hellcats and Spirit of America have quite a connection in that one of the Spirit fifer/ drummers, Andy Hahn, is a former Hellcat drummer and the Spirit fifer/drum major, Joe Horvath, is a former saxophonist and Drum Major of the Military Academy Band. The two groups first performed together in 1997. That summer, the combined groups performed at the EPCOT American Pavilion, the Westbrook Fife and Drum Muster in Connecticut and at a Trophy Point concert at West Point.
Serious Low Frequency - David Murray
The United States Military Academy Concert Band, under the baton of Captain Tod Addison, presented a concert at the Trophy Point Amphitheater on July 25th. The band was joined by world class double bass soloist David Murray for three selections. In addition, the group performed Captain Addison's own arrangement of the first movement of Dimitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9. Also on the program was the music of Leonard Bernstein and William Grant Still. David Murray was born in Canada and began studies on the double bass at age 12. During summers, Mr. Murray attended the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and both Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals as a fellowship recipient. Mr. Murray was winner of the Aspen Bass Concerto Competition in 1981, and in 1988 won the International Society of Bassists Competition in Los Angeles. In 1990, he was presented by the Society of Bassists in his Carnegie Hall debut. Mr. Murray performed Giovanni Bottesini's Reverie and Tarantella, Jon Deak's B.B. Wolf (An Apologia), and Road to Hamelin by Paul Ramsier. Italian composer Giovanni Bottesini was known as the Paganini of the double bass. He was a soloist unmatched by any double bassist of his time. He is given credit for elevating the double bass from a lowly instrument, relegated to the back of the orchestra, to a full-fledged solo instrument. In his life he wrote ten operas, eleven string quartets, several double bass concertos and a method for double bass that is still in use today. Symphony No. 9 by Dimitri Shostakovich is a staple of the orchestral repertoire. It is the last in his triptych of three wartime symphonies. After his heroic Seventh "Leningrad", op.60 and the grandiose Eighth Symphony, op.65 people in the Soviet Union and abroad expected a big ninth symphony to celebrate the victory of the Great Patriotic War. Shostakovich tried to compose such a piece but abandoned it after two attempts. What finally became the Ninth Symphony, op.70, was quickly written in the summer of 1945 in less than one month. The band also performed Leonard Bernstein's Overture to Candide. Based on Voltaire's novelette of 1759, Candide opened on Broadway in 1956. To round out the program, Sergeant First Class Mary Kay Messenger sung selections by Craig Carnelia and John Bucchino. Basie's
100th Birthday
Count Basie was a leading figure of the swing era in Jazz and an outstanding representative of the Big Band style. With the exception of a brief period in the 1950's, Basie led a big band from 1935 to his death almost fifty years later. Count Basie's orchestra was characterized by a light, swinging rhythm section that he led from the piano, lively ensemble work, and generous soloing. The Jazz Knights honored Basie by playing such selections as All of Me, One O' Clock Jump, Lil' Darlin', and April in Paris. Every Day I Have the Blues featured the Jazz Knight's vocalist Sergeant First Class Laura Bradley. The Jazz Knight's guest artist, John Riley, is enjoying a stellar career as a jazz drummer. Riley is a Grammy award winning recording artist and performs regularly with the renowned Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. John in on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and SUNY Purchase and has written two critically acclaimed books about jazz drumming. Riley's playing inspired the Jazz Knights to a great concert and wowed the crowd at the Trophy Point Amphitheater. By George! - All Gershwin Concert On August 15th, 2004, the United States Military Academy Concert Band under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Rotondi Jr., presented a concert consisting of the music of George Gershwin in the Eisenhower Hall Theater. The band performed Rhapsody in Blue with pianist Nadine Shank as soloist. Staff Sergeant Chris Rettie played the Porgy and Bess Medley arranged for concert band and saxophone by Ralph Hermann. The band also performed An American in Paris and Sergeant First Class Mary Kay Messenger sung other Gershwin favorites. Bandleader Paul Whiteman approached George Gershwin in 1922 with the idea of composing a concerto for solo piano and jazz orchestra. Whiteman was planning an educational jazz concert, hoping to crash the gate of the highbrow concert hall and legitimize Americans’ taste for jazz. Gershwin, at the age of 24, already a successful songwriter and doing very well on Broadway, was flattered and accepted. In three weeks Gershwin had written a workable manuscript for the concert. The piano part was largely incomplete. Gershwin improvised large sections of the piece during the concert, merely nodding to the conductor when it was time for the orchestra to make its next entrance. Pianist Nadine Shank made her concert debut at age 15 with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra of Interlochen, as winner of their prestigious concerto competition. She was an award winner in the Music Teachers’ National Association, Mason and Hamlin, and National Federation of Music Clubs competitions. Ms. Shank earned degrees at the Oberlin Conservatory, receiving the Rudolph Serkin Piano Award, and at Indiana University. Her teachers have included Menahem Pressler, Sanford Margolis and John Wustman. Ms. Shank joined the band to play George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Porgy and Bess got its start in 1926 when Gershwin read a novel by DuBose Heyward called Porgy, describing the milieu of the Gullah community in Charleston, South Carolina. Upon reading Heyward's novel, Gershwin contacted the author and proposed they write an opera based on it. Staff Sergeant Rettie played the Porgy and Bess Medley with heartfelt emotion and grace. Music
Under the Stars The United States Military Academy Hellcats, Jazz Knights, and Concert Band presented the final concert for the Music Under the Stars concert series on September 4th. The band's field music group, the Hellcats, began the concert by sounding Retreat at 6:00 p.m. Following the Hellcats, percussion guru Emil Richards joined the Jazz Knights in their portion of the concert. The concert culminated with a joint performance of the 1812 Overture by the Concert Band and U.S. Army Chorus with cannon and fireworks. The bugle call sounded at retreat was first used in the French army and dates back to the crusades. Retreat is a daily ceremony held at all army installations as the national flag is lowered at the end of the workday. The ceremonies of Retreat and Reveille constitute a dignified homage to the national flag from its raising to its lowering. Retreat is sounded just before the lowering of the flag. The Hellcats also performed patriotic music arranged for bugles and drums. Mallet maestro Emil Richards joined the Jazz Knights for an exciting program of jazz compositions, both standard and contemporary. Emil Richards has recorded over 1350 film scores and has recorded or performed with over 650 musicians including Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, George Harrison and Frank Zappa. The U.S. Army Chorus, conducted by Captain Jim Keene, performed several patriotic selections as well as songs from Les Miserables. The Chorus then joined the Academy Concert Band under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Rotondi Jr. for Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture with cannon and fireworks. The U.S. Army Chorus was established in 1956 as the vocal counterpart of The U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C., and is one of the nation's only professional, all-male choruses. From its inception, The Army Chorus has established and maintained a reputation of excellence in the performance of male choral literature. The Chorus often performs at the White House for functions hosted by the Departments of State and is a standard feature at events for each presidential inaugural. The concert was a great success. The bands were well received by the crowd of several thousand at the Trophy Point Amphitheater. The thunder of the cannon echoed off of mighty Storm King Mountain and reverberated over the crowd as the U.S. Army Chorus and the Concert Band played a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. The fireworks were stunning as they exploded over the crowd in the crisp September air over the majestic Hudson River.
Young Peoples’ Concert
Featuring It was an early morning in October at the United States Military Academy when a fleet of buses arrived carrying students from various elementary schools in the Hudson Valley. They were here at West Point to attend the annual Young Peoples’ Concert, this year put on by the United States Military Academy Band’s Jazz Knights. The premise of this year’s event was to take the students on a journey from the beginning of the 1900’s up to the present. On this ride through time, they heard and experienced how jazz was born and then how it developed over the course of the last century with the talents of guest soloist/educator Jim Masters.
Mr. Masters is a trombonist and alumnus of Youngstown State University, and is now on the jazz faculty at Ohio State University. He has toured the United States and Japan with the acclaimed Buddy Rich Band and the Widespread Jazz Orchestra. He has been an educator and trombone lecturer since 1994. The concert began with several examples of how different jazz composers wrote various tunes based on Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, including the theme song to the hit Hanna Barbera cartoon The Flintstones, which of course was highly regarded by all the students. Mr. Masters went on to speak briefly about the different styles leading up to jazz such as Spirituals, Dixieland, the Blues, Chicago and Swing. As he spoke, the band interjected with selected examples, some of which also featured Sergeant First Class Laura Bradley along with Jim Masters himself on vocals. They played such tunes as Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; When the Saints Go Marching In; The Homework Blues (with lyrics by Jim Masters written especially for his young audience); The Charleston; Black Bottom Stomp; and Count Basie’s One o’Clock Jump. Mr. Masters proceeded through other styles of jazz to include the Boogie Woogie, Bebop, Afro-Cuban, as well as the art of scat singing demonstrated by Jim Masters in a call and response exercise with several of the students from the audience.
The students also got the opportunity to listen first to each type of individual instrument that makes up a big band, and then to each section, and then finally the whole ensemble at once. This seemed to really give a layering affect, as the students got a clear sense of the four different sections and how they sound, both as individual sections/instruments and how they fit together when playing as a whole ensemble. This year’s Young Peoples’ Concert was a huge success for the students involved and for the USMA Band. It was inspiring to introduce a bit of American culture into the lives of many young people who have probably never even heard the word jazz. I would not be surprised if someone told me they heard scat syllables coming from the buses as they pulled away. Who knows, perhaps these students have instrumental music in their very near futures. Trumpeter Vince DiMartino Performs with Concert Band and Jazz Knights The United States Military Academy Band Jazz Knights and Concert Band presented a joint concert with guest trumpeter Vincent DiMartino on January 20th, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. in Eisenhower Hall. In addition to this performance, Mr. DiMartino offered a clinic, the evening before, that focused on living life through music; how being a musician has an effect on everyday life both within and outside of music. He also talked about various concepts to be applied toward trumpet playing, such as how to extend a brass player’s endurance. Additionally, he demonstrated musical excerpts on several trumpets in various styles. On Sunday, January 22nd, DiMartino presented a recital at the beautiful Cadet Chapel, featuring his son Gabriel on trumpet and accompanied by organist Dr. Schuyler Robinson. The Cadet Chapel is home to one of the largest church organs in the world.
The Concert Band began its program with several selections, including Celebrations by John Zdechlik and Five Miniatures by Joaquin Turina. Mr. DiMartino performed the well-known Concerto for trumpet by Alexander Arutunian, written in 1950 for the renowned trumpeter Timofei Dokschitzer. The Jazz Knights opened their set with a modern jazz composition entitled Lickety Splitz, which featured Staff Sergeant Derrick James on alto saxophone and Staff Sergeant Scott Arcangel on piano. Next, the band featured Mr. DiMartino on several selections, including Aim for the Heart and an arrangement of America the Beautiful, which featured Staff Sergeant Mike Reifenberg on soprano saxophone, as well. Also performed was the premiere of a commissioned work by University of Massachusetts jazz professor Jeff Holmes entitled At First Light, and an original composition by composer/guitarist Chris Walden entitled Home of My Heart, both of which featured Staff Sergeant David Loy Song on tenor saxophone, and, of course, Vincent DiMartino. Vocalist Sergeant First Class Laura Bradley performed Avalon, with soloist Staff Sergeant Derrick James on alto sax, and It’s Only a Paper Moon which featured Mr. DiMartino along with several other soloists from the Jazz Knights.
Since graduating from the Eastman School of Music in 1972, Vincent DiMartino taught at the University of Kentucky until 1993. At that time, Mr. DiMartino began a new appointment as Distinguished Artist in Residence at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. He has served as lead and solo trumpet with the Lionel Hampton Band, the Chuck Mangione Band, the Clark Terry Band and the Eastman Arrangers Holiday Orchestra. The International Trumpet Guild has featured Mr. DiMartino as an artist-clinician in major solo programs at many conferences.
West Point Clarinet Summit The United States Military Academy Band at West Point hosted the first West Point Clarinet Summit on March 17 and 18, 2006, at West Point. Clarinetists and aficionados from as far away as Sweden, Texas, Ohio and Virginia joined the local crowd in two full days of information and performances. The Summit, conceived by Sergeant First Class Shawn Herndon, provided an opportunity for the Academy Band’s clarinet section to share its collective depth and love for the clarinet with the public. Prior to the start of the event, four young artists were selected to come and audition in the final round of the Summit’s Young Artists’ Competition. Jennifer Schundler, a student at the University of Florida; Cory Thompson, a graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi; and Maegan McHugh, a student at the University of Connecticut, were runners-up in the competition and earned the opportunity to perform in master classes with the featured artists of the event. Georgiy Borisov, a student at the Manhattan School of Music, won first place, a new mouthpiece from Jim Pyne and performed Rossini’s Introduction, Theme, and Variations with the Academy Band on the Summit’s closing gala concert. On Friday, participants were treated to an open rehearsal of the USMA Concert Band, featuring Stephen Girko (Austin Symphony), Larry Combs (Chicago Symphony), Mr. Borisov and the band’s own principal clarinetist, Sergeant First Class John Parrette. A mouthpiece discussion, led by Jim Pyne, informed attendees about the basics of mouthpiece construction and how to choose the best fit for your clarinet. A recital by the Academy Clarinet Quartet (Master Sergeant Rachel Grasso, Sergeants First Class Shawn Herndon and John Parrette, and Staff Sergeant Sam Kaestner), featuring transcriptions by members of the group of Bartok and Beethoven string quartets, impressed the audience. Mr. Girko led a master class, featuring two of the young artists. The audience experienced the depth of the West Point Band’s clarinet section at the first of two mixed solo recitals, featuring Staff Sergeants Diana Cassar-Uhl and Jeff Geller, and Sergeant First Class Christopher Jones. Staff Sergeant Sam Kaestner presented an hour-long discussion about the bass clarinet just prior to Mr. Girko’s feature recital. Girko and accompanist Dr. Ruthanne Schempf delighted the audience with their performance of Bernstein’s Sonata, the Debussy Premiere Rhapsody, Babin’s Hillandale Waltzes, and, in a special performance with former student Sergeant First Class Shawn Herndon, Ponchielli’s Il Convegno. After dinner, the evening’s final event began – Mr. Combs’s all-Mozart feature recital. Accompanied by pianist Evan Solomon and violist Noriko Futagami Herndon, Combs delivered an unforgettable performance of the Kegelstadt Trio, followed by a transcription (by SFC John Parrette) of the Quintet in C minor with the Academy Clarinet Quartet.
Saturday began with a recital by the West Point Clarinet Quartet (Sergeant First Class Christopher Jones, Staff Sergeants Diana Cassar-Uhl, Jeff Geller, and Sinclair Hackett), featuring a program of original music for clarinet quartet by Paul Harvey, Michael Henry, Pierre Max DuBois and Alfred Uhl. The second mixed solo recital followed, featuring Master Sergeant Rachel Grasso and Staff Sergeants Jennie Tibbs and Erin Foster. After lunch, Mr. Combs led the other two young artists in a master class. A panel discussion led by three members of the Academy Band about life in a military band gave participants the opportunity to ask questions about the career path we’ve chosen. A clarinet choir recital followed, conducted by the band’s Executive Officer, Captain Treg Ancelet, Sergeant First Class Christopher Jones and Staff Sergeant Chris Rettie, a saxophonist in the Academy Band. The audience was treated to a diverse program of transcriptions of music by Mozart and Holst, as well as original compositions for clarinet choir by Peter Schickele and Martin Ellerby. Mr. Combs and Mr. Girko led a discussion about their careers as orchestral clarinetists to round out the afternoon.
Saturday evening’s gala concert event, led by the Academy Band’s commander Lieutenant Colonel Timothy J. Holtan, was the culmination of the two days of great music. Prior to the concert, Dr. Dana Wilson, professor of music at Ithaca College, presented a lecture on his work Liquid Ebony, which he transcribed for clarinet and wind ensemble for the West Point Clarinet Summit (the piece was premiered, with piano, by Larry Combs at the 2003 ClarFest in Salt Lake City). The concert, which also featured such traditional wind ensemble music as Molly on the Shore and The Klaxon, showcased the guest soloists in top form. Georgiy Borisov, the winner of the Young Artists’ Competition, displayed masterful control and technique for one so young in his performance of Rossini’s Introduction, Theme, and Variations. Steve Girko treated the audience to a dramatic ride through Bassi’s Fantasia on Rigoletto, and Sergeant First Class John Parrette wowed the audience with his versatility in his performance of Morton Gould’s Derivations. Larry Combs brought the concert to a rousing finish by playing Liquid Ebony. The clarinetists in the audience were excited, impressed, and motivated – one was overheard exclaiming “I have to go home and practice right now!”
Young Artists Perform With Concert Band On Sunday, April 9th, the U.S. Military Academy Concert Band presented a performance highlighting the talents of three local high school musicians. Ms. Amanda Hauser, Mr. Brian Santero and Ms. Michelle Morrison performed with the band under the direction of Captain Treg Ancelet.
Ms. Amanda Hauser was the first soloist of the day, performing the first movement of Mozart’s Concerto in D Major. In addition to holding principal flute positions in the John Jay High School Symphonic Band, Orchestra and Concert Band, Ms. Hauser is the principal flutist in the Hudson Valley Council Band. Ms. Hauser intends to study flute performance next year in college, with the career goal of performing in a major symphony.
Trombonist Brian Santero is a senior at Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls. He was the second soloist of the afternoon, presenting a rendition of Lars Erik Larsson’s Concertino that demonstrated a maturity far beyond his years. Mr. Santero has enjoyed a great number of performance opportunities as a student at The Juilliard School of Music’s pre-college division. Future plans for Mr. Santero include studies at a major conservatory next year.
The final soloist of the afternoon was flutist Ms. Michelle Morrison, performing Cecil Chaminade’s Concertino. A senior at Arlington High School, Ms. Morrison is in the top three percent of her class and is the principal flutist in the Arlington Wind Ensemble. While developing into a fine flutist, Ms. Morrison splits her time as both the captain and a member of the varsity soccer team and the sports editor of The Arlingtonian newspaper. Ms. Morrison plans to study English/journalism next year. The concert was a wonderful opportunity for these three young musicians to perform with a professional musical ensemble. All three rose to the occasion and presented wonderful solo performances.
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As
a secondary purpose, the Regimental Brass performed recitals and clinics
for the music students and faculty at the Oslo Conservatory and the Kings
Guard Band (a collection of high school-aged students serving their
mandatory one-year obligation to the Norwegian military).
This
year the United States Military Academy Band showed that excellence
demonstrated on the parade field can carry over onto the intramural
athletic field as well.
The
band would also like to announce that its very own SSG Kathy Wilcox has
been named the 2004 Female Athlete of the Year.
The United States Military Academy Band
continued its "Music Under the Stars" summer concert series on
August 8th at the Trophy Point Amphitheatre. At 7:30 p.m., the Jazz
Knights of the United States Military Academy celebrated Count Basie's
100th birthday by playing many of his great big band hits. John
Riley, from the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, served as guest artist on drums
to help pay tribute to the "Count".
