CLC Music department announces fall 2016 concerts and 40th anniversary of Guest Artist Concert Series

Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Ernie Watts will perform at the College of Lake County Oct. 16 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of CLC's Guest Artist Concert Series and kick off the 2016-17 Music department concert season. A second Guest Artist Concert will be held May 5, 2017 featuring Terell Stafford of New York, a Grammy winner who has played trumpet on more than 130 albums.

CLC musicians will present seven concerts during Fall Semester featuring choral and instrumental music performed by talented students and community members. The college's instrumental groups include Monday Night Jazz Ensemble, Tuesday Night Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band and two Jazz Combos. The choral ensembles are Choir of Lake County, CLC Singers, Chamber Singers and Gospel Choir. Concerts are held in the Mainstage Theatre of the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts on the CLC Grayslake Campus, 19351 W. Washington St.

The Guest Artist Concert Series was started by Bruce Mack, CLC director of bands from 1977 to 2004, and continued with his successor, Dr. Michael Flack. The series has brought nationally known and award-winning performers and conductors to perform with college musicians and offer clinics and workshops. Past guest artists include Bobby Shew, Clark Terry, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Wayne Bergeron, Rufus Reid, Tom "Bones" Malone, Andy Martin and Byron Stripling. To learn more, visit www.clcillinois.edu/campus-life/arts/music/instrumental-groups/guest-artist-concerts.

Watts will conduct a clinic for CLC students and musicians from the community at 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 in Room P101.

"We are very excited to begin our 40th anniversary season featuring one of the foremost saxophonists of our time, Ernie Watts," said Dr. Michael Flack, music department chair.

Fall 2016 Music department concerts:

Sunday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. - Guest Artist Concert featuring Guest Artist Ernie Watts, saxophone. This two-time Grammy Award winner's career spans 50 years, from playing with the Buddy Rich Big Band in the 1960s to touring with Pat Metheny in the 1980s. Watts' 2016 release, "Wheel of Time," includes a range of tempos and styles, from blues to calypso, waltz to post-bop and a peaceful ballad. Considered one of the most versatile and prolific saxophone players today, Watts has been featured on more than 500 recordings by artists ranging from Cannonball Adderley to Frank Zappa, always exhibiting his unforgettable trademark sound. He recently performed in Jazz at the Kennedy Center, in Australia with Billy Cobham and Orchestra and in Los Angeles with the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra.

With the CLC Monday Night Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. Michael Flack, Watts will play a program that includes "Echoes" by Ernie Watts and Pat Coil; "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" by Oscar Hammerstein, "To the Point" by Ernie Watts and David Witham; and "Lover Man" arranged by Bill Holman. The Tuesday Night Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dave Hibbard, will open the concert.

Sunday, Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. - Wind Ensemble. Dr. Flack will conduct a program that features the following pieces: "Celebration Fanfare" by Steven Reineke, "Diamond Variations" by Robert Jager, "Renascence" by H. Owen Reed, "Poseidon" by Julie Giroux, "Othello" by Alfred Reed and "March" (Opus 99) by Sergey Prokofiev.

Saturday, Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. - Fall Choral Concert. Enjoy a delightful afternoon of music performed by CLC's four choral ensembles. The program will include "All That Hath Life and Breath Praise Ye the Lord!" and "It is Well With My Soul" arranged by René Clausen, "Fair Phyllis," "Adoramus te," "I Used to Know You," "America, The Beautiful," "Every Night (When the Sun Goes Down)" and a spirited selection of gospel songs and spirituals, with soloists and instrumentalists.

Sunday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. - Jazz Concert. Enjoy outstanding big band jazz charts performed by the award-winning Monday Night Jazz Ensemble, conducted by Dr. Michael Flack, and the Tuesday Night Jazz Ensemble, conducted by Dave Hibbard.

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. - Holiday Choral Concert. CLC choirs will present a beautiful concert of holiday songs ranging from classic to contemporary. The concert will feature more than 125 singers from Choir of Lake County and CLC Singers (Jeffrey DeLay, director), Chamber Singers (Ingrid Mikolajczyk, director) and Gospel Choir (Charles Thomas Hayes, director).

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. - Holiday Wind Ensemble Concert. The 50-member ensemble, comprised of talented CLC students and community members, will perform a program of holiday favorites from the wind ensemble repertoire.

Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. - Concert Band. Conductor John Mose and the 60-member Concert Band will present a wide range of band music, including marches, symphonic pieces, Broadway medleys, film scores and holiday songs.

Note: A concert date for Jazz Combos will be announced in November.

Ticket prices range from $6 to $10, with a $1 discount for CLC students/staff and seniors. Instrumental music concerts are free to students under age 18. For tickets and information, call the Box Office at (847) 543-2300 or visit www.clcillinois.edu/tickets. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 60 minutes prior to each performance. To avoid long lines at the Box Office caused by last-minute sales, please purchase your tickets in advance or arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the performance. Due to the quiet nature of many songs, choral concerts are not appropriate for children under age 3.

Community members are invited to participate in CLC Music department ensembles or take private lessons for college credit or personal enrichment. For information, contact the Communication Arts, Humanities and Fine Arts division at (847) 543-2040 or visit www.clcillinois.edu/programs/mus.