PRESS RELEASE: Baroque Brass–Ensemble Brass
February 18, 2007; 4:00 PM; Centenary Church, Lexington, Kentucky
The Lexington Brass Band will feature well-known Baroque masterpieces on their third concert of the year, Baroque Brass–Ensemble Brass, on Sunday, February 18th, at 4:00 PM, Centenary Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington. Guest conductor Ronald Waiksnoris, director of the acclaimed New York Staff Band, and the Tates Creek High School Band’s Brass section will round out the outstanding line up. Tickets are $5.00, General admission. Tickets available at the door. For further information contact: 859-858-3877 or 859-858-3511 Ext. 2246; email: ronald.holz@asbury.edu.
The band will present a variety of great classics transcribed for the modern brass, including challenging works by J.S. Bach, G.F. Handel, Henry Purcell, and Frescobaldi. Among these will be such treasures as The Rejoicing from the Royal Fireworks Music, the Allegro from The Water Music Suite, and two great sacred works by Bach–Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, and If Thou Be Near. Two soloists from the band will feature on elegant, lyrical arias by Purcell (principal cornet Andrea Adams), and Handel (principal trombone David Henderson. The band is pleased to present one of world’s finest brass band conductors, Ronald Waiksnoris, director of the famed New York Staff Band of The Salvation Army. This excellent band under Waiksnoris has played around the world to great critical acclaim and their recordings are held in the highest regard. (See below for further information on Waiksnoris).
Also joining the band will be the brass section of the Tates Creek High School Band (Directors Dee Bishop and George A. Critz II, who will play several solo selections from the Baroque era, including selections from Music for King Charles II by Matthew Locke, and scintillating excerpts from a Buxtehude cantata. The Lexington Brass Band intends each year to feature a different high school band brass section from area schools in its yearly subscription series.
The program is designed to last one hour and should prove ideal for the widest audience range.
Ronald Waiksnoris has served as Bandmaster and Musical Director of the New York Staff Band since 1992, following a distinguished career as the band’s cornet soloist. His tenure at the helm of the New York Staff Band has been marked by innovative programming and an imaginative concert style that have consistently driven the band to the forefront of brass banding. Under his leadership, the New York Staff Band has successfully toured Europe, Australia, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom, made over 20 critically acclaimed recordings, and presented concerts at some of the world’s most famous concert halls including New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and London’s Royal Albert Hall. Bandmaster Waiksnoris first joined the band in 1975, eventually becoming its principal cornet and soloist. In addition to his leadership of the band, Bandmaster Waiksnoris is The Salvation Army’s Territorial Music Secretary for the organization’s 12-state Eastern Territory, overseeing all music and arts programs in the region. As part of his responsibilities, he is the Director of The Salvation Army’s heralded Star Lake Musicamp. A resident of Verona, N.J., Bandmaster Waiksnoris studied trumpet at Hartt College of Music and graduated from the University of Massachusetts (Boston).
For further information, see the website of The New York Staff Band.
