W. Aurora H.S. bands to peform 3 nights of concerts
The West Aurora High School bands will have an exciting week of performances during the last week in February, highlighted by the annual theme concert presented by the Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony on Friday, Feb. 26.
The three nights of concerts will begin Wednesday, Feb. 24, with the Blue Freshman Band, Concert Band, and Symphonic Band. The concert on Thursday, Feb. 25 will feature the Red Freshman Band and the Symphonic Winds.
Tickets for the Feb. 26 theme concert can be purchased by visiting sd129tickets.org. All concerts will begin at 7 p.m. in the West Aurora High School auditorium, 1201 W. New York St., Aurora.
This year's theme concert, "From Stage and Screen," will feature West Aurora alumna and Hall of Honor member, Annbritt duChateau, as guest conductor of both the Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony.
The Wind Ensemble's program will include two arrangements by Warren Barker - "Broadway Showstoppers Overture" and "The Phantom of the Opera" as well as Robert W. Smith's arrangement of music from the Harry Potter films. West Aurora High School's former director of choirs, Meg Papadolias, will sing "Allerseelen" by Richard Strauss as well as "The Laughing Song" from Die Fledermaus.
The Wind Symphony's program will include a medley of songs popular in three of Disney's animated films - "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Aladdin." Chuck Wolter, a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus and McCleery Elementary reading specialist, will sing Giacomo Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from the opera "Turandot."
The ensemble will also perform another work from the opera stage, "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral" from Richard Wagner's "Lohengrin." The concert will close with the familiar sounds of selections from "The Star Wars Trilogy," music from Episodes IV-VI.
Annbritt (Gemmer) duChateau's formal education includes multiple degrees from DePaul University's School of Music in Chicago. She has been associate conductor for such Broadway productions as "Les Miserables," "Frogs," "Pal Joey," "Phantom of the Opera," and "Into the Woods." Her talents have also garnered her positions as assistant conductor for the national tours on "Kiss Me, Kate," and musical director-conductor of "Miss Saigon" and "Aspects of Love." Her keyboard skills have been captured on several Tony and Grammy-nominated cast albums. Her resume reflects venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Studio 54, London's Royal Albert Hall, and the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center and stars such as Vanessa Williams, Nathan Lane, and Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of the band ABBA. Her musicianship and intelligence have proved to be her entree into the highly competitive (and primarily male-dominated) field of music directors in the Broadway theater industry. Her journey from one city of lights to another has been crowned with many successes.