Thursday, June 23, 2022 Concert
The third concert of the 154th season of the Michigan City Municipal Band (MCMB) will be held Thursday, June 23, 7:30p, at the Guy F. Foreman Bicentennial Amphitheater in Washington Park.
The June 23 concert repertoire will be:
The Invincible Eagle March by John Philip Sousa
Lightnin’ by Rudy Wiedoeft and Hugo Frey George Wolfe, saxophone
Persuasion by Sammy Nestico George Wolfe, saxophone
Tudor Sketches by William Owens
Folk Songs of Britain by Guy Foreman
Lady Gaga Dance Mix arr. Ted Ricketts
Anthem for Peace by Ed Huckeby
Highlights from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
Cirbiribin by Alberto Pestalozza
From Sea to Shining Sea by Maurice Whitney
Guest soloist will be George Wolfe. Dr. Wolfe is Professor Emeritus at Ball State University, where he taught saxophone performance and chamber music for 32 years. He has performed extensively throughout the United States, and has also concertized in Europe, Cyprus, Costa Rica, Canada, India, Korea and Japan. He has been heard on radio stations across the US, and has appeared as a soloist with such ensembles as the Royal Band of the Belgian Air force, the United States Navy Band, the World Band at Disney World, the Medalist Concert Band in Minneapolis, and Windiana Concert Band. Critics have praised his playing as “brilliant and moving.” John Lambert, writing in the Winston Salem Spectator, described Wolfe’s performance as “a deeply satisfying and moving artistic experience.”
Dr. Wolfe holds a Performance Certificate from Indiana University, where he studied with Eugene Rousseau and Daniel Deffayet. He is featured on eight volumes of the compact disk series America’s Millennium Tribute to Adolphe Sax, distributed by Arizona University Recordings. He has presented master classes at the Paris Conservatory, Indiana University, and the Interlochen Center for the Arts.
Dr. Wolfe will perform two solos with the MCMB: Lightnin’ by Rudy Wiedoeft and Hugo Frey, and Persuasion by Sammy Nestico. Rudy Wiedoeft was one of the early saxophone virtuosos. He made more than 300 recordings, and is credited with helping to popularize the saxophone (invented by Adolphe Sax in 1840) in the USA and Europe. Sammy Nestico was one of the most successful jazz composers of the last 50 years. He is perhaps best well-known for his compositions and arrangements for the Count Basie Band. Persuasion is a beautiful ballad.
The Sousa Band played twice in Michigan City:
1914—Tuesday, October 13, evening, Orpheum Theater
1924—Monday, November 10, matinee, Tivoli Theater
The 1914 tour also included concerts in LaPorte and Valparaiso. Since The Invincible Eagle was on the 1914 tour program, it is likely that the Sousa Band played it in Michigan City, LaPorte, and Valparaiso.Continue reading