Mt. Prospect Community Band series to showcase top young talent
The Mount Prospect Community Band is back Monday night for the first of seven outdoor concerts they will play this summer, June 18-July 30, at the Veterans Memorial band shell in Lions Park.
The program, entitled “Mount Prospect’s Got ‘Young’ Talent” is a first for the band, as it features talented young musicians from the area, all aged 12-18. If you can’t be there, the concert is being taped for cable TV broadcast in Mount Prospect.
All the summer concerts are free, and begin at 7:30 p.m. Bring blankets and lawn chairs; food and drinks can be bought on-site.
“Disney Around the World”: The concert opens with this medley of Disney tunes; you’ll hear the Robin Hood Fanfare, “It’s A Small World,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Colonel Hathi’s March,” “I Wanna Be Like You,” “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” “Night On Bald Mountain,” “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” “Under the Sea” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da.”
“Fantasy for Euphonium and Band”: Soloist Douglas Barr, 17, the son of Chris and Tom Barr, graduated from Prospect High School and will attend University of Illinois as a music education major. He received the “Best of District 214 Fine Arts Award this past school year and played “Fantasy” with the Prospect Symphonic Wind Ensemble at their spring concert.
“Sweet Sunset”: Oboe soloist Lea Wells, 14, will be a sophomore at Buffalo Grove High School and studies privately with Lois Del Vallee, community band member and wife of Director Ralph Wilder. Her dad, Dan Wells, is director of music at Orchard Evangelical Free Church of Arlington Heights and her mom, Midge, is an accomplished vocalist.
“Morceau de Concert for Horn”: French horn soloist Veronica Finegan, 18, from Fremd High School, performs this classic piece by Camille Saint-Saens. The daughter of Anne and Robert Finnegan she will enter NIU this fall to study mechanical engineering. She comes from a musical family, having five sisters and one brother, all of whom are accomplished musicians.
“Concerto for Trombone and Band, Allegro Vivace”: Matthew Gordon, 13, an eighth-grader at Lincoln Middle School in Mount Prospect, will play the 1st movement of this Rimsky-Korsakov piece on the euphonium. He is the son of Susan and Wayne Gordon, the later is the band director at Wood Oaks Junior High School in Northbrook.
“Concerto for Trombone and Band, Allegro”: The third movement of the concerto will be performed by Prospect High School senior Jeffrey Nay-del, the son of Karen and Bruce Nay-del. The 17-year-old performs in the Symphonic Band at Prospect High School and hopes to continue his study of music in college.
“Adagio and Tarantella”: Clarinetist Liah Watt, 15, a sophomore at New Trier High School, will play this contest piece by Ernesto Cavallini. The daughter of Ee-ann and Lolly Watt, she plays inNew Trier’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Symphony Orchestra, and sings in the Concert Choir. She also plays clarinet in the Symphony Orchestra of Mid-West Young Artists and performs in several chamber ensembles, both instrumentally and vocally.
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”: To close the concert, the Mount Prospect Community Band once again collaborates with St. James Community Theater for a preview of their summer musical. “Joseph” will run July 13-28, but on Monday, three leading performers — Amy Keipert, Franco Longobardi and Case Carvell — and much of the young cast will join the band for a sneak peek at the show.
Mt. Prospect Community Band
Theres a theme every week as the band performs its summer series.
June 25, Arf A Canine Concert: Bring your pooch (on a leash) for music and vendors who sell dog things. Pooper scoopers a must!
July 2, A Star-Spangled Concert: A Mount Prospect tradition, this concert features Chicagos first couple of song, Wayne and Kathleen Messmer.
July 9, Remembering Station WNIB: Brings back Chicagos other classical music station and features radio personalities Ken Alexander and Scott Thomas in a concert of classical music.
July 16, In the Year 1912: Features the 30-voice mens barbershop chorus The Arlingtones, and will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of St. Paul Lutheran Church.
July 23, Singin & Swingin With the Big Bands: Features the vocal talents of the community bands official girl singer Leah Novak to music by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and more.
July 30, Do-It-Yourself-Sousa: The traditional end of the summer event brings John Philip Sousa enactor Michael Golemo to conduct the expanded band in an old-fashioned Sousa style concert. This concert allows musicians who are not regular members of the band to join in.