Mat-Su Concert Band Plays Vibrant Fall Concert
Contributed by Mat-Su Concert Band
Mat-Su Concert Band’s upcoming “Fall Tempest” concert features a passionate mix of music ranging from up-tempo marches and fast-paced pieces to soulful symphonic compositions.
The performance will be capped by a unique treat: A concerto performed by the band’s own master of the trombone, José López-Ramos.
The fall concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Glenn Massay Theater at Mat-Su College. Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $5 for students, and free for children 5 and under.
Tickets are available at matsuconcertband.org and at the door.
To celebrate the vibrancy of the season, the band will perform Danzón No. 2, by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, a piece inspired by a Cuban dance and featuring numerous solo parts that showcase the talent throughout the band’s sections. The concert also features Giacomo Puccini’s heart-rending Nessun Dorma, a concert band arrangement of the aria most famously sung by Luciano Pavarotti from the final act of the opera Turandot.
The melancholy beauty of the season will rise in Samuel R. Hazo’s Hennepin County (Shrouds of Snow), Robert Sheldon’s Ghost Fleet, and Eric Whitacre’s October.
The urgency of autumn’s pre-winter preparations are encapsulated in a number of high-pace pieces: Todd Stalter’s relentless Rampage!, Kenneth J. Alford’s quick march Army of the Nile, Robert Jager’s U.S. Marine Corps band tribute Esprit de Corps, Dmitri Shostakovich’s tumultuous Galop, and Malcolm Arnold’s bracing folk song suite, Four Scottish Dances.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Concerto for Trombone and Band will be performed by
López-Ramos. Born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, López learned trombone from his father. He is a fourth-generation musician and a third-generation soldier in the U.S. Army who served nearly 12 years playing in Army bands and came to Alaska in 2011.
The concert will be conducted by the band’s director, Tyler Martin, who also directs the Wasilla High School band program.
Mat-Su Concert Band got its start in 1984 as the Mat-Su Community Band, formed by Matanuska Music owner Hank Hartman. Past directors have included Neil Long, Phil Munger, and Gleo Huyck, who led the group through its transition to an independent nonprofit organization.
Today, the band is made up of about 60 musicians from many different walks of life who come together to make music every week during the school year. Rehearsals are held at Wasilla High School. For more information about the band, including becoming a member, please email contact@matsuconcertband.org