2005 Archive
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26 DECEMBER 2005:
MANY THANKS
Some members of the 2005
Almost In Time Dixieland Jazz Band
Thanks to:
My heartfelt thanks to the many fine musicians who have given so enthusiastically of their talents and time to make the AITDJB a success, for five years running now. It is always a delight to perform with you, and frequently to rehearse with you: age cannot wither you, nor custom stale your infinite variety. Farewell 'til the next chart.ALL THE PARENTS
for rearranging your schedules, clapping at performances, schlepping and hauling (especially the percussion parents), and most of all for loaning me your offspring for another year. Thanks to tolerant spouses (spice?) and S.O.s, too.
THE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS
who have shared rehearsal space and equipment, and trained the fine young musicians who play in these groups. And extra thanks to those who have performed with us: it is a glory and a wonder to find so many of you willing to share your talents by taking the stage with us. We thank:ANNE NICHOLS, for being seen in public with the Solstice Brass at the Bank and the Bonfire, for inviting the SB to play at your winter concert, and especially for performing at the Gazebo with the AITDJB; you are a goddess and a heroine
BRIAN VANDERBLOEMEN, for welcoming me into your bands, for giving the Wind in the Reeds woodwind quartet a friendly performance venue at your Unit VI band concert, and especially for contributing hot sax licks at a Gazebo concert with the AITDJB (and wearing the big pink bowtie like a good sport)
GAIL SHOEMAKER, for joining the WitR at the Library contributors' gala
BILL GARVEY and DAVE HEILMAN, for inviting me into your band (at a performance, yet!), loaning music stands and horns to the SB, and especially for graciously allowing the AITDJB to rehearse in your band room for the last five years
EVAN REILLEY, for giving the WitR a friendly performance venue at your Unit VI choir concert, and for loaning sheet music to Buzz Lightyear and Woody
The 2005 Solstice Brass
THE MCFARLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT:
Dr. Jim Hickey, for offering unbelievable support from and access to MHS
Gary Schneider, for trusting me, year after year, with your PA equipment
The MHS custodians, who remain cheerful and helpful even when we run late or get noisyEVERYONE WHO HAS GIVEN US PERFORMANCE VENUES, ADVERTISING SPACE, OR FRIENDLY SUPPORT
THE MCFARLAND STATE BANK, for giving the SB a place to play indoors
NAZARETH HOUSE and HARMONY HOUSE, for giving us a chance to play our Christmas tunes one last time, once we'd finally gotten pretty good at them THE MCFARLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, for Christmas in the Village
THE MCFARLAND FAMILY FESTIVAL, for offering the AITDJB three venues in a single weekend
THE MCFARLAND COMMUNITY BAND, with which the AITDJB would have shared a concert if Bill hadn't been scared off by a few tornados
The many LOCAL BUSINESSES who have been kind enough to allow us to hang advertising flyers in their windows. Thanks particularly to the McFarland Thistle for running our performance announcements, and to Ken's Automotive for the use of their letterboard. Thanks to the Wisconsin State Journal for free access to its "Rhythm" section, and Madison Dot Com for this Web site
The SIEGMANN FAMILY for the AITDJB end-of-year party: Sara for organization, Aaron for technical support, and of course Maw and Paw for use of their back yard and their fire pit.
The 2005 Second String Violin Duo
THE MUSICIANS
who performed with us in 2005 for the first time: Eric Adams, Andrea Bakunowicz, Scott Birrenkott, Kristofer Buhalog, Stefan Buhalog, Chris DuCharme, Anne Nichols, Gena Roisum, Gail Shoemaker, Zach Staszewski, J. T. Stocks, Brian Vanderbloemen, and Sherry WegnerAnd finally, to all
THE RETURNING MUSICIANS
I don't know what I've done to deserve you, but I will try never to stop. Thanks to Brad Anderson, Amanda DeBoer, Becca Funk, Nora Hickey, Autumn Leonard, Isis Leonard, Bria Mason, Tonya Neumann, Glenn Nielsen, Frank Ransley, Becky Schultz, and Sara Siegmann.
- Quinn
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19 DECEMBER 2005:
LIFTING UP OUR VOICES
The 2005 Solstice Brass at the McFarland State Bank
Christmas in the Village 2005
L to R: Frank Ransley, Sherry Wegner,
Autumn Leonard, Quinn Leonard
The concert opened with the combined choirs performing Brad Printz's Holiday Processional. Next, the Concert and Band/Choir students performed Always Something Sings, with text drawn from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Music", Journey in Peace, and Riu Riu Chie. Journey carried the text of a Hebrew traveling-prayer to a melody by Andy Beck and Ben Cohn. Anne provided a violin countermelody. Riu Riu Chiu, meant by its anonymous Spanish composer to be onomatopoeic for the sounds of a nightingale, featured a lovely solo by Melanie Williams.
The Brass performed two traditional four-part carol arrangements while the Blue Notes Vocal Jazz Ensemble prepared to take the stage; the audience sang along, led by the AITDJB's own lovely and talented Miss Amanda DeBoer. Blue Notes sang a Kirby Shaw arrangement of The Holly and the Ivy, and Vince Guaraldi's timeless Linus and Lucy theme, here arranged by Steve Zegree. The latter seemed a bit desynchronized at times, although Holly went well. For me the highlight was Blue Notes' middle piece, a sophisticated arrangement of I'm Beginning to See the Light (originally by Duke Ellington and 4 or 5 friends). The group sparkled on this one, and looked confident - a prime ingredient of good performance even, or especially, when things start to go wrong. Zach Staszewski and Andrea Bakunowicz looked and sounded great.
After two more carols with brass, audience, and Amanda, the A Cappella choir gave renditions of To Drive the Winter Cold Away (in which we were privileged again to hear Ms. Nichol's violin), If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking (text by Emily Dickinson), Kyrie, and the Carol of the Bells. Bells was a classic, clean arrangement to which the choir brought the right amount of urgency. Kyrie is a semi-programmatic "symphonic poem" meant to comment on the events of 9/11. Social relevance is no guarantee of quality in art, and in fact is its enemy more often than not, so I braced for this piece with some trepidation. But it turned out to be very listenable, and I could enjoy it because I enjoyed it, not because I was supposed to "get" it. Or, put another way, it passed the acid test of art: you could get something out of it even if you hadn't read the program notes.
The concert closed with the massed choirs plus brass performing the now-traditional Fanfare for Christmas, and with the audience-on-the-stage singing of the Hallelujah Chorus. Mr. Kuehl took on the conductor's duties this year, and seemed quite jovial about it.
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12 DECEMBER 2005:
BRASS UNDER THE ROTUNDA, CHAMBER IN THE MALL, FRIENDS AT THE LIBRARY
On Thursday night the McFarland High School bands gave their winter concert, playing a lively and richly varied program of mostly seasonal works. The Symphonic Band performed Ed Huckeby's Annandale Chronicles, a strongly programmatic piece evoking the history of a small town in Minnesota. Next, a medley of Canadian Brass Christmas arrangements provided some bright new insights on familiar tunes. Permutations, by the UW's own bespangled Mike Leckrone, was an exciting exercise in accidentals and precessing rhythms. Eric Adams was among the percussionists, and Quinn Leonard was happy to be invited to play euphonium.Zach Staszewski, Andrea Bakunowicz, and Scott Birrenkott were on hand for the Wind Ensemble, on clarinet, alto sax, and trombone, respectively. The Ensemble did a fine job with an arrangement of themes from the Nutcracker, including some lovely oboe passages by Ali Kane. Samuel Hazo's Ride, an homage to Jack Stamp, was less successful - or maybe it's just too new, and I need to hear it again. The almost-traditional closing performance of Leroy Anderson's iconic Sleigh Ride was particularly excellent this year, with the percussion well to the fore of the sound, and a stronger than usual presence of the lyric trombone lines. Also, whichever trumpet did the shake (Andrew Gilbertson?) gets credit for a very presentable horse.
Happy tubas, frolicking and rehearsing in the wild
Quinn and Autumn Leonard signed up to play at TubaChristmas this year, and the thing was, to put it mildly, a gas. Just shy of a hundred players showed up, with ages ranging from 11 to 72; it was heartwarming to see so many young players. There were exotic Russian tubas, hyfallutin' Wilson euphonia, Wagner tubas, 'natural' horns, and of course a sea of Japanese instruments and Olds-style three-valve baritones. The many familiar faces included band instructors, UW faculty, WSMA judges, and Janice Stone (who was told to play her tuba while "imagining that she played bassoon"). The arrangements are mostly nifty. We got one hour of rehearsal, during which we read about a quarter of the pieces we would play in performance.
We gave the show to a packed crowd under the Capitol rotunda, and such a sound I have never heard. The space is live enough when the music is vocal, but a hundred low brass left echoes that have not all faded as of this writing. As noted, most of the concert was sight reading, but the level of musicianship was pretty high - and besides, the acoustics probably smeared out many of the bad notes. In all honesty most of the pieces would probably sound better with four instruments than with a hundred, and fifty tubas warming up on a scale in B flat sound more like B-57 bombers. But it was an event of brass comeraderie not to be missed. Autumn and Quinn bought TubaChristmas winterwear.
Diana Popowycz knows how to get results. She is the coach for several of the Wisconsin Youth Orchestra's chamber ensembles, many of which gave a holiday performance in the space outside Marshall Field's at Hilldale mall Saturday night. Isis Leonard plays violin in a group that performed the Sarabande and the Crusaders' March from Handel's "Rinaldo", and Ms. Popowycz had her musicians polished to a high gloss. Their intonation was accurate, and they gave the impression that the time spent learning the notes was far enough behind them that they had had time to think about interpretation, too. Heck, they even looked good, giving crisp bows and coming onstage already tuned. Of the whole program of ensembles, at least two thirds was of very high calibre, and it was a pleasant evening all around.
An impression of (L to R):
Isis Leonard, Elizabeth Froden, and Gail Shoemaker
(Click for a less artsy version)
Half of the Second String Violin Duo - specifically, Isis - performed as part of a violin trio at the same Library event, taking it in turns with the Wind in the Reeds. In fact they shouldered the lion's share of the performance time, having much more material ready to play. Elizabeth Froden, Gail, and Isis made up the trio, which meant that while Gena Roisum and Becca Funk got a chance to breathe between woodwind sets, Gail and Isis were on stage for two solid hours. The star of the show was the new Library, and the music was just a background, but evryone performed excellently and comments were all glowing.
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5 DECEMBER 2005:
AN OUTPOURING OF CHRISTMAS MUSIC
Frank warming up
at the Bonfire
On Thursday night the Wind in the Reeds woodwind quartet performed at IMMS, as crowdwarmers for the Unit VI band and choir concert. They trotted out some favorite old chestnuts, and tried out a few new pieces on the captive audience. As they played, AV people were testing the lighting controls; when at one point the lights went out entirely, the woodwinds had the professionalism to finish the piece they were playing (Jingle Bells), but took it as a Sign that it was Time to Stop.
Saturday was McFarland's Christmas in the Village, and we were well represented. That morning the Solstice Brass Quartet performed at the McFarland State Bank while young 'uns bagged goodies from Santa. Anne Nichols brought a selection of Blue Notes personalities, and was gracious enough to allow the Brass to join them on some carols; singers included Zach Staszewski. After the singers left, the Brass played 'till their faces melted. The effort was well recieved - there was some dancing, even though Bria's mother wasn't there.
Satruday afternoon the Second String Violin Duo provided two hours of music at the Parsonage bed and breakfast. Isis Leonard and Nora Hickey were fortified by their teacher Gail Shoemaker and by fellow WYSO musician Elizabeth Froden. By this time it had begun to snow, and the event was all so very civilized: flurries beyond the windowpane, cider scent in the air and mugs of cider warm in hand, classic Christmas decorations in the pleasant old Parsonage house, and excellent vioin music. Gail chose a varied program of fine arrangements, and she and her students brought them off with precision and style.
The 2005 Solstice Brass, just before
the music caught fire
Sunday afternoon was a University of Wisconsin "Band 41" concert, with Autumn Leonard as principal euphonist. He had lots of nifty solos, and of course the baritone parts are always good in band music. The group did an especially nice job with Jaime Texidor's Amparito Roca and with the Overture for Winds by Charles Carter. Sunday also saw the annual Capitol Pageant Christmas show in the capitol rotunda.
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28 NOVEMBER 2005:
UNIT 8 BAND CONCERT:
Coming soon - a guest review by Becca Funk
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21 NOVEMBER 2005:
GUYS AND DOLLS NICELY NICELY DONE
A selection of Dolls: Hot Box Dancers
The MHS Drama Department's Friday night performance of Guys and Dolls was lively, lovely, and likeable. People who know the show only from the Brando / Sinatra film may think it's rather a clunky affair, with its stilted no-contractions gangster dialogue and a plot that's a highly contrived even for a musical. But on stage the show can come brilliantly alive, as the MHS thespians so deftly demonstrated, and I enjoyed the MHS production far more than I did the "professional" film. It's not merely that I'm a sucker for live performance. Friday's show was just better, that's all.
High honors go to Lindsay Kuehl's Adelaide, a startling, spot-on rendition that was freshly delightful every time she parted her rosebud-lipsticked lips. She drew her character so cleanly and clearly that she seldom had to resort to the stock business of pronouncing "er" as "oi". Not only did she have the Betty Boop squeak-and-wiggle down cold (hot?), she was able to do it accurately, every time, while singing. She could do a well-modulated squeak, make a moue, and still hit the next pitch correctly, and not just in slow numbers, either. It was a remarkable display of vocal control and confidence.
Nicely Nicely Zach,
rockin' the boat atop a human pyramid
Let it be duly noted that I heartily approve of Zach's bow tie (although it's absent in this photo).
Sophie Nelson played the ingenue with a fine bewildered charm. She makes intelligent use of past experience, an admirable trait in an actress if she can avoid autoplagiarism - and Sophie avoids it. To my eye her Sarah Brown was informed by her Little Red Riding Hood, in that they both had steel under the velvet. But she's certainly not stuck in a rut, as she brings fresh fire and a good, accurate singing voice to every role. Her Senior Bio was the most entertaining I've read in years.
Sophie, Lauren, and the Soul Band
Kristofer Buhalog's Harry the Horse had a neighing, snuffling vocal tic that was, to put it no more strongly, perfect. He used it only twice, I think, but as with Tabasco sauce a dash is all it takes. Maybe this is a sound he naturally makes around the house all the time, but the dedication he showed in perfecting a device that he got to use for a grand total of about three seconds of running time approaches professionalism. Those few seconds are what it's all about: this is the very spirit of theater.
The spare, flexible set gave the actors just enough to work with, without nailing them too firmly to reality. (The sewer scenery was the most realistic in appearance, as it should be). Most settings were more suggested than created - a lit scrim, a plam tree, two sides of a skeletal phone booth. The total effect had a whiff of unreality quite in keeping with the show's subtitle of "A Musical Fable of Broadway", and was one more reason why this production beats the film. Costumes were slick, well chosen, and well executed. The oft-underappreciated tech crew ran a clean show, at least from the audience's point of view. Maybe things were teetering constantly on the brink of disaster backstage, but we certainly couldn't see it.
A selection of Guys:
Gamblers, lowlifes, and layabouts all
(note Zach's excellent bow tie)
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14 NOVEMBER 2005:
WYSO CONCERTS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS
2005 Concert Orchestra tuning up
Click for larger view
The technical abilities of the WYSO groups range from very good to excellent - and though we shouldn't take it for granted, of course we all expect that. But these young musicians have also a spirit of joy and professionalism that lifts them far above the ordinary. They're a bunch of kids, right? Yet it's clear that most of them can really feel the sense and passion in the music they're playing. More, they want very much to transmit those emotions to their audience: a desire that's essential to any masterful performance. These kids get it. If anybody on that stage is just reading notes, they're far in the minority.
That sounds like conventional wisdom, and in fact the word "mature" often comes up in descriptions of the WYSO sound. But it has long been time for audiences to get past thinking of the WYSO groups as "youth" ensembles, and instead simply to appreciate them for their considerable musical merit. Tickets to WYSO performances are underpriced. If the general public had to pay twice as much for tickets, they'd buy more tickets, because they'd think the concerts must be intrinsically worthwhile - which they are; every customer would be satisfied.
2005 WYSO members from McFarland:
Back, L to R: Isis Leonard and Nora Hickey
Front, L to R: Yunhui Zhao and Elizabeth Froden
Rehearsals are entertaining, but what a difference an audience makes! Saturday afternoon's Concert performance sounded much better than Saturday morning's rehearsal. The changes must come partly from sitting before an audience, which adds adrenaline and endorphins to the cocktail already brewing in the performers' adolescent veins. On stage, the horns sounded much more powerful and assured. The piccolo's intonation was better. The percussionists had their heads mostly in the game, especially the young lady who played timpani on Bratislava. I note with pleasure that the bassoon section was strong all day, at rehearsal and on stage, though someone's a little breathy. The tuba player's embouchure is excellent. There may have been some disagreement between the tuba and the basses, regarding their exact relationship to the beat during the Prelude to Carmen, but that may have been an effect of Mills Hall's dispersive acoustics.
I haven't heard a Youth Orchestra rehearsal recently, so for all I know Sunday's superb performance just appeared full-wrought: Athena springing from the forehead of Zeus. But I don't believe it; it was too nearly perfect.
Hidegard von Bingen might be hard pressed to recognize some of the things that have been done to her music since she was rediscovered after a lapse of many centuries, but the Christofer Theofanidis arrangement we heard on Sunday kept the sonority and - to borrow a word from conductor James Smith - austerity of plainsong while exploiting the tools of modern polyphony. At that the orchestration was spare, which is a good thing in this performance space. Both the scoring and Youth's performance evoked a sense of larger, better places.
In even the most melodic of Sergei Prokofieff's works, there is a certain strangeness and wildness frothing just below the surface, ready to surprise and delight us when it breaks free, no matter how familiar we are with the music. Hong-Hsin Chen's performance of the Allegro brioso from the 3rd piano concerto was startling, robust, playful, and enigmatic - in short, everything you'd want in a recording to listen to at home, over and over. She earned her standing ovation and armload of flowers many times over.
The concert closed with selections from Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony. Nora had several lovely solo bassoon passages, and made the most of them as always. The whole shebang was riotous and rich, with some especially nice high brass and no fear of crisp tempos. (The Youth Orchestra is not "mature" for not dumbing the work down by compressing the range of tempos; they just played it right.) The performance deserved, and got, the afternoon's second standing ovation. I'd have paid more for my ticket.
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Second String 2005:
Isis Leonard (L) and Nora Hickey
7 NOVEMBER 2005:
THE SECOND STRING VIOLIN DUO HAS BEEN BOUGHT
Well, they've been auctioned, anyway.Nora Hickey, Isis Leonard, and their teacher Gail Shoemaker donated two hours of violin music to the Friends of the McFarland Library auction. The Friends group supports Library programs and the construction of the new Library building. Bidding took place during the McFarland Family Festival, and owners of the Parsonage Bed and Breakfast placed the highest value on violin music. Many thanks to Craig and Cathy of the Parsonage for supporting the arts in McFarland.
They have chosen to use the music during McFarland's Christmas in the Village celebration on Saturday 3 December 2005. The violins will perform from about 3:00 PM until 5:00 at the B&B on Broadhead Street.
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To get bigger versions
of these puppies,
click on them!
31 OCTOBER 2005:
N.O.R.A. & W.M.E.A.
Nora Hickey performed E. Bourdeau's Premier Solo for bassoon at the Wisconsin Music Educators Association's State Conference this weekend. She received some kind comments on topics ranging from flicking to the future of bassoonery.
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27 OCTOBER 2005:
NIGHT OF THE LIVING CONTRAS
Nora and her regular
(not unleaded) bassoon
Honors band conductors often include their own compositions in the program, with results that have been mixed, to say no more. This year's conductor, Robert Spradling, did not succumb to that vanity, giving us instead a richly varied program of works ranging from the familiar to the surprising. The band was one of the strongest in recent memory, and the conductor seemed to have a good rapport with it. The low brass in particular were muscular but supple. This year's crop of Honors Band French horn players seemed superior to those chosen for the Honors Orchestra.
The concert hall at the Overture Center
There is currently afoot a pernicious movement to perform old music with "period authenticity", which in practice generally means turgid arrangements played upon inferior antique-y instruments by performers who have been psychologically hamstrung into using underdeveloped technique. The Honors Band's performance of five movements from the Suite from Danserye suffered from none of these faults. It was wonderfully engaging, partly because the students kept their good horns (and string bass) and didn't forget everything they knew, and partly because the modern arrangement by Patrick Dunnigan, based on a 1551 arrangement by Tielman Susato, kept a Renaissance spirit of freshness and hopefulness without sounding embalmed. For this piece Molly took up her soprano clarinet again. Nora had been playing bassoon but shouldered the mighty contrabassoon for this piece, and man, when there's a contrabassoon being played on stage, the audience knows it.
Early Light by Carolyn Bremer constructed a tapestry with its own melody as warp and disembodied fragments of The Star Spangled Banner as woof; it sounds like a stunt piece but wasn't. The concert ended with the Finale from Vittorio Gianni's 3rd Symphony, the wonderful acoustics of the Overture Center transmitting flawlessly every note in the woodwinds' cadenzalike runs and flourishes.
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25 OCTOBER 2005:
MHS CHOIRS STAND UP AND TESTIFY
The MHS choirs' Tell It, Sing It, & Shout It program of American spirituals and Gospel music gave a rousing hallelujah Monday night to an audience too shy to participate much, but deeply appreciative nevertheless. Anne Nichols' flawless, inspired direction and Joe Dever's sly-but-glowing piano accompaniment brought out the best in most of the singers, and the result really had my blood jumpin'. 
AITDJB members in the 05-06 Blue Notes:
Zach (the rightmost guy) and Andrea
(the leftmost gal)
It's early in the season, but the Blue Notes performance already showed signs that the group will meld into the solid weave an ensemble needs, and that the strong soloists will get better at making the difficult, instantaneous change from lone voice to blended ensemble voice. Most of the members were clearly enjoying themselves - Zach Staszewski and Andrea Bakunowicz, among others, projected a real sense of joy - but some of the performers could show their involvement with the music a little more: just because Monday night's audience acted like a bunch of white Norwegians, doesn't mean the performers needed to. But cosmetics aside, gosh, I love hearing these people sing! I look forward to following them to State S&E again this year.
After the Blue Notes, the school's several choirs performed singly and in combinations. Emily Raasch took an extended solo in Josephine Poelinitz's arrangement of City Called Heaven, and she really nailed it to the barn. She had very nice consonants (except for the ones she consciously omitted), and even at the top of her arc appeared to have so much power in reserve that the only thing holding her back was the size of the auditorium; I want to hear more of her. The combined choir handled the layered meters of I'm Gonna Sing! with unobtrusive grace. In Moses Hogan's I'm Gonna Sing 'Til the Spirit Moves My Heart, Zach was part of a cool five-tenor core that also included Up A Fifth's Kristofer Buhalog. Anne's arrangement combining Wayfarin' Stranger with Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley was spare and moving; Andrea took up the vocal solo in this piece, displaying a lovely, sweet alto that makes me wonder why the AITDJB only uses her for tenor sax.
Scott Birrenkott brought out his trombone, and Chris DuCarme his bass, as part of an instrumental combo accompanying the A Cappella choir on Shine On Me, and this is the kind of smart programming that helps make Anne's concerts such a joy to attend. A school choir concert can easily degenerate into a bunch of interchangeable pieces pounded out in sequence by a clot of open-mouthed head-blobs on top of unmoving blue robes, but on Monday night we were treated to a pageant of small and large ensembles, solo work, and solid choral work, in various permutations of accompaniment. Add to that the very creditable survey of Gospel and spiritual music, and you get a show that would have kept a less repressed audience on its feet all night. Yea, sisters. Amen, brothers.
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24 OCTOBER 2005:
BRIA IN BEDRICH'S "BARTERED BRIDE"
Bria, battered not bartered,
from We Found Love etc.
Smetana referred to the Bartered Bride as "a toy", and claimed to have tossed it off only to avoid accusations that he couldn't do anything that that didn't sound Wagnerian. Naturally, many today consider it his masterpiece (I'm a Moldau man, myself). It is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani and strings. The Smitten Boy(s) / Clever Girl story arc goes like this:
Act I: A village fair in fair Bohemia. Lovely Marenka loves good Jenik, but her father wants her to marry Micha’s son, Vasek, to pay off a debt. Marenka is puzzled by Jenik’s indifference (after all, she's hot stuff and the star) and by his mysterious past. She asks him why he left home. Jenik tells her that, after the death of his mother, his father remarried and his traditionally wicked stepmother sent him packing. It now being time for a ballad, Jenik suddenly overcomes his indifference, and the two swear eternal love. As they are busy with this, Kecal the Matchmaker visits Marenka's parents. Kecal is also keen for Marenka to marry Vasek. When Marenka comes home and declares her love for Jenik, Kecal seeks him out to see what makes him the cat's pajamas.
Act II: Immature, stuttering Vasek finally makes it onto the stage. Marenka, knowing she's in an opera, decides she can easily conceal her identity, meet Vasek, and trash-talk herself. She paints such a terrible picture of his intended bride that he agrees never to marry her - but secretly falls hard for Marenka-in-disguise. Kecal finds Jenik, who agrees that he will renounce Marenka for 300 gulden (about 25 nuflorins more than a solidus of obols, or 19 1/2 giftedandtalents), on condition that she marry no one but Micha’s son to clear her father’s debt. Jenik, figuring to play Kecal false, wonders how she could possibly believe he would sell his Marenka - but he goes along with the scheme for reasons best known to himself and the librettist. The villagers are angry to hear about the ‘sale’ of Jenik’s bride. Scene with pitchforks, etc.
Act III: The circus arrives, because Smetana has some wonderful dance themes he wants to work into the score. But the star attraction, a ‘bear’, is too drunk to perform, so Vasek is persuaded to take its place. Vasek’s parents are astonished to hear he does not want to marry Marenka, but when he discovers that the girl who charmed him is actually the feared Marenka, he gladly consents. Marenka agrees to think things over and will not listen when Jenik tries to explain why he sold her. Jenik outwits Kecal and humiliates her by revealing himself to be Micha’s eldest son. Marenka forgives him and decides against Vasek after seeing his ‘bear’ performance. Her union with Jenik is blessed by all. Curtain.
The photo shows Bria after an altercation during the MHS production of that thing with "Figurines" in its title. Clicking on her bruise will get you the whole snapshot with (l to r) Bria, Amanda, and Sara.
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17 OCTOBER 2005:
UNIVERSITY BANDS GIVE CHEERFUL CONCERT
Part of University Band 41,
getting set up.
Sunday's performances reflected that, lacking some of the polish that a group of professional-musician hopefuls might have mustered. But they were capable, cheerful, fun, and earnest; it was clear that the musicians were enjoying what they were doing; and at their best they sounded darn good, too.
The first University group, conducted by Ronald Golner, gave a pretty-crisp performance of an arrangement of Saint-Saens' French Military March. A certain mushiness in the trumpets was not entirely their fault: there were too many of them, and of course the acoustics in Mills are hideous.
Better was the band's rendering of Ralph Von Williams' Rhosymedre, a lovely sonorous construction that the brass, especially, handled well. Because of the way it's scored, apparently, Autumn Leonard had what amounted to a continuous euphonium solo throughout. He brought it off with his usual clarity and authority. It's nice to hear that college life has not entirely rotted his embouchure.
Golner's group closed with a My Fair Lady medley, different I think from the arrangement played by the McFarland Community Band. Autumn rightly points out that such medleys force the conductor to make an unpleasant choice: to smooth out tempos and so discard one element that strengthens the songs' individual identities when they are sung in the musical, or to give them their right tempos and risk audience whiplash at the transitions. Golner maybe erred on the side of the former, a little, but the band's hearts were in it. An audience of some 250 people enjoyed themselves quite, and I for one had a fine old time.
The photo shows part of the band scurrying about ahead of the concert, as well as some of the honeycombs, ridges, and gulfs that make Mills sound the way it does. If you click and get the larger version, Autumn can be discerned as a blob holding a euphonium, almost directly under the huge speaker on the central pier.
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10 OCTOBER 2005:
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
AITDJB 2005
When they move on to college, these young 'uns don't just sit in their dorm rooms instant-messaging each other all day. They are all up to something interesting, from rocket science to voluntary expatriation, but here I'll just mention some of their current musical and dramatic shenanigans:
AITDJB 2004
Jonathan Alden (AITDJB '01-'02; SB '01) reports that his "lips are not completely gone".
Brad Anderson (AITDJB '01-'05) is in the Lawrence University Symphonic Band (by audition), a jazz workshop (on drumset), and the Sambistas samba drumming group (he says this is "the loud Brazilian stuff").
Amanda DeBoer (AITDJB '01-'05) is in the Carleton Choir, the Carleton Singers, and the Carleton Knighingales all-female a cappella group. (Did I mention she's at Carleton College?) The latter two of these groups are by-audition-only ensembles. She's also taking voice and acting lessons.
Katie Hepler (AITDJB Band Camp concert '02) is a trombone section leader in the UW Varsity Marching Band.
Autumn Leonard (AITDJB '01-'05; SB '01-'05) is principal euphonium in the UW University Band ("Band 41"). As part of a technical theater class, he's hanging lights for several UW drama productions. He's studying acting, and recently sang at a fundraiser for Katrina victims.
Bria Mason (AITDJB '02-'05; SB '03) is off on an adventure: she transferred to the University of Edinburgh (yes, in Scotland) because she likes the music. She's been to a couple of ceilidh sessions, and sounds like she's thoroughly hooked. Auditions for various projects are in the works.
Tonya Neumann (AITDJB '03-'05) recently sang at a benefit for Katrina victims. She's in a stagecraft class which will be handling set construction for two productions at the University Theater in Madison, and is studying acting.
Becky Schultz (AITDJB '01-'05) placed by audition as principal oboe in the UW-Stevens Point Concert Band.
Nick Schleicher (SB '02) auditioned into the UW Varsity Marching Band, which already has him stepping higher.
Sara Siegmann (AITDJB '02-'05) is in a fiction writing workshop at Williams.
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3 OCTOBER 2005:
MARIO VS. KATRINA!
The trio sang Autumn's a capella arrangement based on music from the Mario video games, in a version slightly revised from the performance they gave at the 2005 MHS Cabaret show. They got on well with the mostly-tweenage audience, finishing to raucous applause, hoots and hollers. Strangely, though, the trio's "pause" impersonation went over the audience's heads more than it had at MHS - or maybe it's not so strange: the MHS audience was probably soberer.
The rest of the show was uneven but mostly very entertaining. Highlights included belly dancers, a rather broad Janis Joplin pastiche, a kama-Kali dance complete with yoni/linga hand signs, and several fine cabaret vocal numbers. One young lady recreated the classic Lucille Ball Vitameatavegimen sketch, which made me think of Becky.
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29 SEPTEMBER 2005:
UPCOMING PERFORMANCE DATES
The big list of upcoming events that used to be here, is now available through the EVENTS link, here and also above right. I update that copy of the list sometimes. Corrections and additions are very welcome. Jump to the top of this archive or to the current news on our home page
28 SEPTEMBER 2005:
FRANK EARNS A JAMES BROWN NUMBER OF "2"
Clyde Stubblefield
Stubblefield was the original drummer for James Brown, and has performance credits ranging from Garbage to Otis Redding, including his own Clyde Stubblefield Band. He's described as the "most sampled funk drummer in the world".
Here's how the number thing works: Stubblefield has a James Brown Number of "1", since he played with Brown; Frank has a James Brown Number of "2", since he played with someone who played with Brown. That means that, thanks to Frank, the rest of us now have James Brown numbers of "3". Or of course you can claim Otis Redding or Garbage numbers of the same rank. For some of us, Frank raises our status just by association.
Thanks, guy.
26 SEPTEMBER 2005:
MCFARLAND MARCHING BAND ALUMNI MAKE BIG "M" ON FIELD
Marching Alumni in a big "M"
Plenty of MHS alumni came back to march, too, including Katie Hepler (AITDJB Band Camp concert 2002), Autumn Leonard, Danielle (SB 2003 - 2004), Tonya, Frank, Nick Schleicher (SB 2002), and Becky. When you count Anne Nichols (AITDJB Gazebo 2005), Glenn, and Brian (AITDJB Gazebo 2005), almost everyone from the Dixie band was on the field. It's pretty cool that there are enough returning MHS alumni that they can form their own big "M". Apparently, there were more alumni on the field in 2005 than there were regular band members in 1905, when Bill began teaching.
Marching Alumni 2005
high resolution
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19 SEPTEMBER 2005:
THE MCFARLAND FAMILY FESTIVAL WAS A HOOT
Becky and Quinn on the Big Top stage
at Family Festival 2005;
click image to see more band members
The McFarland Family Festival (MFF) once again asked the AITDJB to be the Saturday lunchtime entertainment under the Big Top; we were crowdwarmers for the Talent Showcase (TSC) Saturday night; and we fielded another jaw-dropping float in the Homecoming Parade. Zach took on all the vocal duties this weekend and stepped into the role with his own inimitable style. Brad, Autumn, Tonya, and Becky all came home from college to perform with the band, and that's spirit: giving up a weekend on campus to spend it playing old jazz in McFarland.
Scott 2005
The TSC was held in the comfortable old MHS Auditorium this year, and the AITDJB played from the pit. This was new for us - we're not usually so strung out. We played a half-hour set as people were being seated for the main show, and we seemed to have a mesmerizing effect on the crowd. (At least, nobody threw anything.)
Second String 2005
under the Big Top
Members of our extended musical family were well represented in the TSC proper. Autumn and Zach reprised their performance of Randy Newman's buddy tune You've Got a Friend in Me, and were if anything more lovably hammy than ever. At the audition they were accompanied by Sara, but she left for Massachussetts and Beth Anderson generously agreed to take over the piano chores. Isis and Nora performed Scott Joplin's Pine Apple Rag, arranged for bassoon duet by Daniel Kelley. They were excellent, both free in interpretation and accurate in rhythm. Surprisingly , it turns out that Ragtime and bassoons are a match made in Heaven, or at least St. Louis. Becky and Nora are members of a woodwind quartet; along with Michael Richardson and Lauren Campbell they are 80% of the winning quintet that used to include Danielle. They performed two movements of a piece by Mary Blackwell, and were well received, showing that there is an appetite for culture. Chelsea took the stage as part of Evan Riley's Middle School guitar band, which also included James Hickey, who is somehow related to Nora.
AITDJB "Under the Sea" float, 2005
Glenn Nielsen (the fish are on his hat, so he's Under the Sea - get it?)Further thanks to the Neumann and Ransley families for photos of our events, which they sent to me pretty much instantaneously. Thanks, too, to Pam Sam for photos of the Homecoming Parade, which were in my mailbox before the parade was over. In fact, this must be the best-documented weekend in the history of Dixie music in McFarland.
Frank Ransley as a surfer shark-attack victim
Tonya Neumann in what she calls "full Ariel mode"
Quinn Leonard as King Neptune (also accepting "Triton" and "Poseidon", as long as they're preceded by "King")
Autumn Leonard in a pinup pose, with a fish stuck in his skull
Zach Staszewski, who has so much spirit he can even sing through a snorkel
Becky Schultz, looking ready for a day above the sea, on the beach
Eric Adams, half-in his MHS Marching Spartans uniform, hoping sprint back to join the marching band and do the whole parade twice
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12 SEPTEMBER 2005:
BRAD TAKES HIS LEAVE IN STYLE
Brad after his final US WYSO concert
We Dixie folk think of him as the consummate set player, and he is that. But there's much more to his music.
When the "Seasoned Seniors" group of Door Creek Church asked Brad to be the entertainment after their quarterly potluck dinner last Friday night, it amounted to a farewell recital, since he's off to Lawrence University any day now. He treated the attentive audience to a superb forty-minute display of the percussionist's art, performing mostly on marimba but giving us one piece on vibraphone and two on set, the latter including a tasty 5/4 encore number. Brad's handling of percussion is always marked by elegance, precision, and above all fine musicianship, and this recital was no exception.
Several of the marimba pieces were familiar to those of us who have followed Brad's progress at WSMA Solo and Ensemble contests over the years, and fans were glad of one more chance to hear his rendering of Bizet's Carmen Suite, arranged for marimba by Linda Maxey. On this and several other numbers Brad's mother Beth provided her usual sensitive and expressive piano accompaniment. Other marimba pieces included Galactica by Mitchell Peters, a movement from Bach's A Minor Concerto, Furioso and Valse in D minor by Earl Hatch, and Change My Heart, O God by Eddie Espinosa. A highlight of the program was the lovely, moving Deep River arrangement for marimba, performed with superb restraint and attention.
The two pieces for set and piano showcased Brad's technique and his total mastery of the instruments. Jesus Loves Me, by W. B. Bradbury and heard here in an arrangement by Craig Curry, was particularly rich in the expression possible with brushes. Two movements from Tim Huesgen's Trilogy for vibraphone closed the main portion of the concert.
The music performance facilities at Door Creek Church are very fine, especially the excellent sound system. Beth's piano was well-tuned and clean-timbred. In all, the venue was excellent for what we hope will not be Brad's last musical appearance in the Madison area.
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5 SEPTEMBER 2005:
RARE SIGHTING OF ELUSIVE BANDERVLOEMEN CREATURE
The gentle creature
in the wild
Stories whispered late at night tell of a mysterious creature haunting the lonely reaches of band rooms. Known to various subcultures as the Abominable Bandervloemen (A. B.), Big Hand, or the Single-Reed Yeti, its existence is still unproven. Accounts of alleged sightings are plentiful but incoherent - a quick blur on the concert stage, or a glimpse of dark hair among a herd of young saxophones. Reliable witnesses are scarce, and photographic evidence almost impossible to obtain. The best available image, reproduced at left, was taken in the wild on 27 May 2005 by a cultural anthropologist hoping to document a rare event known to specialists as a "Pep Band Concert". Frightened by weird pounding noises emanating from a dark gymnasium, the noble scientist nevertheless crept close enough to capture a few grainy frames before fleeing.
The image purportedly shows the A. B. beast engaged in some sort of rhythmic ceremonial activity. If this claim can be verified, it would indicate that the animal has somehow obtained a rudimentary level of cultural development. Indeed, many natives believe the A. B. to be reclusive, gentle, and musical in nature. Certainly none of the legends tell of its ever harming anyone, and it is often described as a kind of guiding spirit, stepping in (for example) to prop up a weak woodwind section at a crucial moment, and then vanishing once more into its labyrinth of practice rooms and debris-crammed offices. Beyond such stories, nothing is really known of its habits.
But now we come to perhaps the strangest part of the A. B. story. On the evening of Thursday 25 August 2005, a pack of young Dixie musicians was gathering in a local gazebo. Under the genial guidance of several elders of their tribe, they were preparing for a traditional summer performance of their lovely, natural songs. Suddenly, a figure later described as "Bandervloemenesque" appeared in their midst, wielding a blunt instrument (probably a saxophone). But rather than causing the mayhem which seemed sure to follow, the creature - whatever it was - appeared to be of benefit to the Dixie pack. Its voice blended sweetly with those of its new fellows, even occasionally rising in a lonely, poignant solo. At first it sported a huge and rather revolting pink bowtie, possibly believing this would provide camouflage by blending in with the protective coloration of the Dixie pack. But soon the pack appeared to accept the creature as one of its own, even sharing with it one of the much more dignified, smaller bright red bowties that are the known markings of this group.
After the performance, the creature disappeared as abruptly as it had come: when it was time to load the piano into the pickup truck, the Bandervloemen was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, it seems that none of the stunned onlookers had the wits to take any photos, nor were any sound recordings made. But we should all be grateful that our lives have been touched by mystery, and we will never forget him, this Bandervloemen in our midst.
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Click the image to
download a PDF
'Greensleeves' score
29 AUGUST 2005:
BRIA PREMIERS QUINN'S "GREENSLEEVES"
The piece was well received at its world premiere, held in July at the justly-renowned Camp Miniwanca Talent Show.I constructed the arrangement, which is subtitled "For Two Unaccompanied Female Voices in Awfully Close Harmony", with Bria's crystalline timbre specifically in mind. There seemed little hope that the work would ever be performed, partly because of difficulties intrinsic to the arrangement, and partly because the piece has two vocal parts but there is only one Bria.
Soft-focus Bria,
2004
On a personal note: I am honored that a musician of Bria's calibre would take enough interest in my concoction to perform it almost-publicly. And as always, it is a pleasure to hear her sing.
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27 AUGUST 2005:
CONGRATULATIONS
to Lavonne Breunig and Timothy Smith on their nuptials.
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25 AUGUST 2005:
YOU HEARD IT ON BASSOON IN MCFARLAND FIRST!
Bassoons, trying
to look natural
Isis and Nora, already infamous as the Second String Violin Duo, gave what was almost certainly the premier McFarland performance of Scott Joplin's Pine Apple Rag as arranged for bassoon duet by Daniel Kelley. When the unfamiliar instruments took the stage at the Gazebo, an awed hush fell over the ice-cream-slurping crowd. But the performers' fine sense of timing, balance and humor soon won the listeners over, even those who may have thought a bassoon looks more like a weapon than like a musical instrument.
We were unusually blessed by between-sets talent tonight, as Autumn and Zach gave a rendition of a tune first made famous by that beloved vocal duo, Buzz Lightyear and Woodie. Randy Newman's You've Got a Friend In Me was a good fit for these two spirited hams, and Sara's sensitive accompaniment, as always, gave the performers help when they most needed it.
As promised, the Up A Fifth barbershop quintet closed out the entre'acte with three splendidly rendered songs: The Star Spangled Banner, Amazing Grace, and the sprightly Tee Idle Dum. Their start was delayed a bit by a train - about B flat two octaves below middle C - but I am happy to say they sounded even better in front of audience than they did in rehearsal.
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22 AUGUST 2005:
BUFFALO NOT EXTINCT IN MCFARLAND
Clidk the buffalo
to get the music
The piece was directed by Bill Garvey, and features solos by Autumn Leonard, Lauren Campbell, Andrew Gilbertson, Chris DuCharme, and Casey Stern.
Click on the Buffalo to open a window that will let you play the music. The file is about 4.2 megabytes, and runs 4:30.
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21 AUGUST 2005:
Members of the band extend their condolences to the family of Cliff Munch.
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15 AUGUST 2005:
AITDJB TAKES THE FIFTH
Up A Fifth at Cabaret 2005
Members of Up A Fifth are Kristofer Buhalog, Stefan Buhalog, Chris DuCharme, Zach Staszewski, and J. T. Stocks. Barbershop sevenths can be awful when poorly rendered, but these guys make them clean and tangy. The group sings music in the Silver Threads Among the Gold and Auld Lang Syne vein, so they're a great fit for an AITDJB concert. We look forward to resting our chops while they do some work.Thanks to Ken's Automotive for advertising our concerts! Due partly to the perfect weather and partly to the kind folks who helped get the word out, our July concert at the Gazebo drew a fantastic crowd and raised lots of money for Habitat for Humanity.
10 AUGUST 2005:
WHY NOT PLAY VIOLA, TOO?
Nora and Isis both play violin and bassoon (although neither girl frequently plays both at once) as well as having a longish list of instruments on which they can noodle. Now both musicians are learning the fundamentals of viola, too. They are taking a short series of lessons aimed at developing viola-clef reading skills and acquiring other mysterious tricks for handling the nasal instrument. Their instructor is Marie Pauls, a member of the dynasty of string-teaching Stenborg women.
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8 AUGUST 2005:
"INCREDIBLES" AUDIO FILE AVAILABLE
The jazz band's performance of The Incredibles sound track medley at the Pep Band concert was hot. Click on Edna Mode (TM) from the movie, at right, to open a window in which you can play a recording of it. The MP3 file is 3.8 MB; the track is about 4 minutes long not counting applause.Stephen Bulla arranged this version for jazz ensemble; Hal Leonard (no relation) publishes it. Michael Giacchino wrote the original film score.
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Click the image
to download a
PDF score.
2 AUGUST 2005:
ISIS' "SCHERZO" DEBUTS AT SUZUKI INSTITUTE
Shortly before leaving to attend the American Suzuki Institute's 2005 session at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, Isis finished a draft of a new violin duet. She and her roomate gave the work its debut performance at an Institute recital, where it was well recieved by staff and students. The revised score is available here: just click on the image to get a PDF version suitable for playing at home!
1 AUGUST 2005:
MCFARLAND MUSICIANS ON EUROPEAN TOUR
Prague: they were here. But did any of the
little blighters remember to take photos?
After the end of the regular WYSO season in May, the Youth Orchestra rehearsed intensively before leaving for Europe on July 20th. The tour featured six concert performances, in Prague, Brno, Vienna, and Budapest, including appearances in the Budapest Castle Summer Festival and in Prague's Tabor Cultural Summer Festival. The orchestra's ambitious program included Leonard Bernstein's "Candide", music from Copland's "Billy the Kid" ballet, Dvorak's 6th symphony, Hansel and Gretel, and The Three-Cornered Hat.
WYSO is Wisconsin's flagship musical organization for students in grades 6 through 12, and consists of three full orchestras, a string orchestra, and several ensembles. Membership is by audition only; to earn a chair in a WYSO group even once, a student musician must be of the very highest caliber. Anderson and Hickey have each auditioned into WYSO several times.
Brad has been a percussionist in WYSO for 5 years, and is also a member of the WYSO percussion ensemble. He is an veteran of many MHS jazz ensembles, dozens of State champion percussion competition groups and many local musical theater pit orchestras. He has also been active in music ministries, and is a founding member of the Almost In Time Dixieland Jazz Band. He graduated from MHS in 2005.
Nora is an avid bassoonist and violinist, and has earned WYSO chairs for both instruments. She is becoming a fixture at State Solo and Ensemble contests.
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Click on any blue- or purple-edged image to get a larger version
28 JULY 2005:
AITDJB CONCERT WIPES OUT UCC ICE CREAM SUPPLY!
More than 150 people came to Larson Park on Thursday evening to buy ice cream sundaes from the United Church of Christ in support of Habitat for Humanity. Many people brought chairs or blankets, or just sat on the ground, and stayed to listen to the AITDJB on purpose. Audience members, many of whom were not related to anyone in the band, bought all the ice cream UCC had to offer. There is as yet no exact tally on the volume of ice cream sold, but a UCC spokesman, speaking off the record, said final figures would probably show that is was "a whole bunch". 
Three new members joined the band for this concert: Zach Staszewski (top left) on vocals; Andrea Bakunowicz (right) on tenor sax, and Eric Adams (lower left) on set. All three were delighted (or at least glumly resigned) to the hazing ritual of wearing the giant pink bowtie marking their first performance. We were also lucky enough to benefit from the talents of MHS's own Anne Nichols. She joined the band for several numbers and also gave wonderful solo renditions of It's Only a Paper Moon and Stormy Weather, accompanied by Sara Siegmann. The image at right (click it for a larger version) shows all the band members who performed at the concert and who stayed around for the group photo. They are:
Back row, left to right: Zach, Eric, Frank, Glenn, Sara, and Autumn
Front row, left to right: Amanda, becky, Quinn, and Andrea
Check out a slideshow of photos from the concert.
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1 JULY 2005:
MHS MUSIC DEPARTMENT'S RESIDENT GODDESS UNACCOUNTABLY WILLING TO PERFORM WITH AITDJB
Anne Nichols, widely regarded as an authority on the end products of cocoa, has generously agreed to perform several numbers with Almost In Time this summer. Intensive research indicates that Ms. Nichols may have played some role in the musical training of other AITDJB vocalists, including Amanda DeBoer, Zach Staszewski, Bria Mason, Tonya Neumann, and even the often-overlooked Autumn Leonard. Ms. Nichols herself is also rumored to have performed once or twice, so we all look - or rather, listen - forward to her efforts. 
Why is Anne's photo here so large, anyway? It throws off the balance of the page, don't you think?
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21 JUNE 2005:
TWO MCFARLAND STUDENTS MAKE THE WYSO CUT
Isis and Nora have both earned positions in the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras WYSO), Wisconsin's flagship musical organization for students in grades 6 through 12. WYSO consists of three full orchestras, a string orchestra, and several ensembles. Membership is by audition only; to earn a chair in a WYSO group even once, a student musician must be of the very highest caliber. Both Isis and Nora have acheived this honor before. Nora will play bassoon in the Youth Orchestra, WYSO's top group. She has been in WYSO for several years, working her way up through each of the groups. Since she was in Youth during the 2004-2005 season, she will be a performer in that group's grand European tour. Nora also plays violin.
Isis will play bassoon in the Concert Orchestra. Last year, she was a violinist in all-strings the Sinfonietta, and she had the option of staying with that group for the new season. But when her bassoon audition earned her the right to move up to the higher group, she felt is was time to play the Big Pipe.
Isis and Nora are founders of the United Bassoons of Madison; check out their web site.
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30 MAY 2005:
GLENN NIELSEN UNACCOUNTABLY MISSING FROM MEMORIAL DAY PARADE
Have you seen
this man?
Parades have for many years been one of Mr. Nielsenn's native habitats. Rumors of sightings abounded on Monday, but all claims seem to have been exaggerated. We must consider the possibility that he has shifted his range and was present as an onlooker. Meanwhile there was someone marching with Indian Mound Middle School Band, as shown in the image at right. However, detailed inspection of the image, by methods ranging from extreme digital zoom to random questioning of shoppers at Pick 'n Save, seems to indicate that this person is not Mr. Nielsen. So far this imposter has not been positively identified. Members of our music groups were dispersed among entrants in the parade, with instructions to record any confirmed sightings of Mr. Nielsen, and to tag him if he seemed safe to approach. Brad Anderson, Becca Funk, Nora Hickey, Autumn Leonard, Isis Leonard, Danielle Meissen, Tonya Neumann, Becky Schultz, Zach Staszewski and Melissa Wilkosz were all on duty, but no reliable observations were made.
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27 MAY 2005:
"PEP" TOO TAME A WORD TO DESCRIBE BAND CONCERT
There is a special sound that can be achieved only by putting an explosive mixture in an enclosed space and igniting it. On Friday night two dozen enthusiastic percussionists and a couple of hundred horn players were tamped tightly into one end of the MHS gymnasium with plenty of good sheet music and a primer of choice vocal acts from last week's Cabaret. The MHS band directors were playing with fire, and the effect on the standing-room-only audience was overwhelming.
Brad Anderson, Nora Hickey, Autumn Leonard, Danielle Meissen, Tonya Neumann, Becky Schultz, and Zach Staszewski performed in the mass band and in many of the featured ensembles; Amanda DeBoer was on hand to reprise her Foolish Games solo from the Cabaret. Other acts coming from the vocal to the instrumental show were Torina's Sandra Dee (a bit spicier than she was in the auditorium); Autumn, his pretty dummy, and friends (including Zach) in Both Reached for the Gun; Godspeed; the startling YMCA, with Brad and Autumn; and Amanda, Tonya, and the other Sparkling Diamond girls (also served with extra sauce). Several excellent percussion ensembles, featuring Brad and Becky of course, gave crisp renditions of Pire and Blue Rondo a la Turk, as well as a spot-on performance of Everybody's Everything and the crowd-pleasing Lids, this year's entry in the list of pieces played on empty plastic paint drums and garbage cans.
The two HS jazz ensembles gave reprises of Buffalo Head, Birdland,and Oye Como Va. The film score for The Incredibles had the quirky sophistication of 1960's-style adventure-flick jazz smartly updated with modern drive and timing; Early Bird played an excellent new arrangement of this material for jazz ensemble, which kept all the flavor. Soloists included Becky, Autumn, and Tonya - it is always a good day when you get to hear a soprano sax played well.
The Senior Band Video has a long tradition of tomfoolery, usually involving some humiliation for the band directors. This year's effort included Autumn as a pirate (we think he was going for Johnny Depp), Tonya as a pirate wench (if I got this wrong, I am sure she will gently correct me) and Danielle as a sort of Charlie's Angels catburglar-ess. Neat Star Wars effects by Steve Eversoll added to the fun. The Tuba Ensemble from S&E, including Autumn, nailed Keystone Chops once again, this time with welcome backup by Dave Heilman on set. Autumn appeared again with some of the droll goofballs who last year brought us Bulbous Bouffant, this time with an equally offbeat skit on the trials of a Tai Kwan Leep novice. The audience was happy.
Of course the massed band numbers were the big noise of the night, from the opening bars of Victors to the last blast of You've Said It All. A reprise of the Phantom of the Opera medley sounded fine, even if the video wasn't on the screen most of the time. Becky and Danielle each had short solos in it, as did some girl with a great scream. (It sounded like the same scream as last time; is it maybe Kelsey?) It's been said too often that the drum line is like thunder, so I won't: it's better than thunder anyway. And during the 'Crowd Participation Medley', people actually did.
The band's gift of new yardline markers for Bill is a thoughtful one, and should warm the cockles of his heart.One last thing: thanks to the students (and to Mr. V., who confiscated cubic yards of contraband) for keeping the show so clean. The balloons were a great idea, and were enough: any show that has balloons, tubas, drums, and good singing doesn't need silly string or dog food too.
Photos, from top to bottom:
Mitch Williams, Brad, Kenny Harmtman, and Autumn in YMCA
Amanda, Tonya and friends in Sparkling Diamond
Danielle (and the top of Tonya's head) during Phantom
Nora, Becky (and part of Tonya's head again) in Phantom
Brad (and no portion of Tonya's head) in Everybody's Everything
Tonya (head and all) wearing a mock yardline marker
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27 MAY 2005:
ISIS AND BECKY PERFORM IN NATIONAL PIANO GUILD AUDITIONS
Isis Leonard and Becky Schultz each appeared before Guild examiners today to perform programs of ten memorized pieces. Both pianists have been students of Mrs. Margaret McKay, who retired from instruction this spring. The Piano Guild, an arm of the American College of Musicians, is a national organization for student musicians of all ages and levels. (The image links to the A. C. of M. Web page, which is only sporadically available). Students audition yearly to obtain or maintain Guildmembership. Audition requirements are intended to provide a student with direction for their piano studies, and with a way of measuring their progress. Students select works from a curriculum encompassing much excellent piano literature, and perform their programs for qualified musicians serving as adjudicators at private auditions. Performances are judged for accuracy, continuity, phrasing, pedaling, dynamics, rhythm, tempo, tone, interpretation, style and technique. In addition to some certificates and pins, the performer receives a detailed Analysis Report.
The ten-piece memorized audition program is the highest level of participation offered by the Guild; success entitles the performer to National-level Guildmembership. Such a program usually comes after a student has performed shorter programs, or non-memorized programs, for several years. This is Becky's tenth year performing at the National level, and Isis' fifth. A tenth-year member used to get an award plaque, but they changed the rules just as Becky got there.
Mrs. McKay's last crop of students gave their final recital on the evening of 24 April 2005 at her home. Her studio's recitals often have a theme; this time, each student prepared one or more Classical selections. Becky performed Debussy's Reverie flawlessly, beautifully capturing the dreamy flow Debussy demands, without producing the unfocused smear of tones to which he is sometimes reduced. Isis' rendition of Harry Lincoln's Midnight Fire Alarm broke down the gates and hit the track running; the piece was certainly a crowd-pleaser, if perhaps not quite defensibly "Classical". The performances of more than twenty students made a fine tribute to a well-loved teacher.
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22 MAY 2005:
BRAD AND BECKY HONORED AT FINAL WYSO CONCERT
Brad Anderson and Becky Schultz were honored Sunday with the WYSO's Bolz Senior Awards, which celebrate the musicianship and dedication of students aging out of the orchestra. The two MHS seniors were recognized at the Youth orchestra's final regular concert and at an awards reception. Both events were Sunday afternoon. WYSO is Wisconsin's flagship musical organization for students in grades 6 through 12, and consists of three full orchestra, a string orchestra, and several ensembles. To audition successfully into these groups even once, a student musician must be of the very highest caliber. Becky and Brad have each been in WYSO more than once.
Brad has been a percussionist in WYSO for 5 years. He is also a member of the WYSO percussion ensemble, which had its final performance on Saturday the 21st. This is not quite his final WYSO performance: he will joint the orchestra on its grand European tour. According to his note in Sunday's concert program, he will continue his involvement in music after graduation.
Becky has been an oboist in WYSO for 3 years. She plans to study music education in college. Even after observing the lives of Mr. Garvey, Mr. Heilman, and Mr. Nielsenn for many years, she still hopes one day to teach music in a Wisconsin high school.
This was WYSO's "concerto concert", featuring performances by winners of the group's concerto contests. The program closed with an excellent rendition of Copland's Billy the Kid. Becky and Brad both performed in this work (the percussion section was somewhat slighted during the concertos); Nora Hickey also performed, on bassoon, but since she is not a graduating senior this article is not really about her, so she won't be mentioned.
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21 MAY 2005:
AMANDA DEBOER WINS MHS CHORAL AWARD
The National School Choral Award is the highest honor the District can bestow upon a High School vocalist. It recognizes dedication, talent, and cumulative achievement.
Amanda DeBoer is the 2005 winner at MHS. She received the award from Anne Nichols at the close of Saturday's Cabaret concert*. When I get a photo of Amanda and Anne, I'll put it here.
Recipients of the award are selected by a vote among their peers, and only one award may be given per year per school, except in the rare event of a tie. As with the band awards, the winner of the National Choral Award receives a statuette, pin, and certificate, and her name is engraved on a plaque which is displayed at the High School.
And, in case anyone hasn't noticed - yes, it is now a complete sweep: members of the AITDJB won all the music awards at MHS for 2005, adding to the piles of honors (and heaps of hardware) they have all earned as they passed through the District. I'd compare it to the Triple Crown, but we have four winners, not just three. Way to whup up on those awards, people!
* At which Anne herself received a baseball bat from grateful seniors.
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21 MAY 2005:
MHS CABARET PLAYS TO PACKED, SCREAMING HOUSE
Autumn Leonard,
Tonya Neumann, and classmate Mitch Williams served as MCs for Saturday night's long-awaited and wildly successful MHS Cabaret show. All three MCs also performed, as did
Brad Anderson,
Amanda DeBoer,
Becky Schultz,
Zach Staszewski,
and a host of other MHS vocal luminaries. There was even a rare performance appearance by MHS' R.G., Anne Nichols, who demonstrated that she still knows how to hold a violin. Mostly, only acts featuring musicians from the AITDJB and allied groups will be mentioned here.The Blue Notes' rendition of Chili Con Carne runs a little differently every time I hear it, but it's always delightful, and was again Saturday night as Brad, Amanda, Autumn, Tonya, Becky, Zach and their compatriots showed plenty of flair. Becky accompanied herself on the Randy Newman ballad When She Loved Me, showing us again that she can sing perfectly well, thank you, although with the AIT