PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
November 19, 2012
Contact: Ricky Brooks (501) 450-5764, rickyb@uca.edu
CLARINET PROFESSOR KELLY JOHNSON TO PERFORM WITH WIND ENSEMBLE,
SYMPHONIC BAND ON DEC. 5
By Paige Turner and Dannielle Douglas
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas will host its final Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band concert of the fall semester Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall.
Dr. Kelly Johnson, associate professor of clarinet, will be featured. The concert is free and open to the public.
The evening will be filled with music for all listeners and is expected by Dr. Ricky Brooks, director of bands at UCA, to be a great show.
“We play a whole variety of music hitting all generations and different kinds of people,” he said. “You’ll be sure to find something that you’ll like.”
The concert will begin with the Symphonic Band playing an array of music focused on the theme of dance. “Dancing at Stonehenge” is the concert’s opening piece, which is predicted to keep the audience’s attention with high-energy percussion. Following the opening is “Folk Dances”, a fast-tempo ode to Russian folk dances by Russian composer Shostakovich. The Symphonic Band will finish its set with a “Suite of Old American Dances” featuring five movements depicting rural Americana dances popular in the early1900’s.
The concert’s second half of entertainment will feature the UCA Wind Ensemble’s rendition of a variety of musical genres. “Rocky Point Holiday” is the set opener, characterized as a high-speed percussion piece. Following the opening is a cool jazz piece, “Interpretations,” with four movements influenced by selected art pieces, each played to a different jazz style. The beautiful “Blithe Bells,” a setting of the famous Bach chorale, “Sheep May Safely Graze,” will feature the harp, percussion keyboards, and an array of brass hand bells. “Black Dog”, a Led Zepplin original, will end the concert in pure rock fashion, featuring Johnson on clarinet. The clarinet solo will take the role of a lead guitar and is sure to be a crowd favorite.
For more information, contact Brooks at (501) 450-5764 or rickyb@uca.edu.
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