The Ridgewood Concert Band Presents , “Music Electronic”
Friday, December 7th at 8:00pm  ,7:30pm Prelude Performance by Emerson High School Band at the West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood, NJ
Ridgewood NJ , The Ridgewood Concert Band (RCB) is proud to continue their 30th Anniversary Season with their upcoming concert on Friday. Titled “Music Electronic”, the concert will feature a wide variety of music ranging from the world premiere of “X-ING for Electric Viola and Concert Band” to a selection of holiday favorites. The band will also continue their season-long tribute to composer John Barnes Chance with the performance of his second symphony.
The RCB looks forward to sharing this concert and hopes to see you on Friday!
Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Tickets purchased online will be held till the night of the concert. Please print your PayPal confirmation when purchasing online. On concert night, present your confirmation to the ticket office to redeem your tickets. Tickets ordered online will not be mailed. Contact the RCB at purchase@ridgewoodband.org for questions about your purchase.
Guest Conductor: Frank L. Battisti
Frank L. Battisti is the Conductor Emeritus of the New England Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble. Under Mr. Battisti’s leadership, the Ensemble established a national and international reputation for being one of the premiere ensembles of its kind in the United States. It has performed often at music conferences, in live radio concert broadcasts over the National Public Radio (NPR) Network and has recorded for Centaur and Golden Crest Records.
During the past 40 years Mr. Battisti has been responsible for commissioning and premiering many works for wind ensemble by distinguished American and foreign composers. Critics and colleagues have praised him for his commitment to contemporary music and his outstanding performances. Mr. Battisti is a very active guest conductor, having directed many professional, university, college, military and high school ensembles in the United States and all over the world. The Ridgewood Concert Band is very excited to have the opportunity to work with him and to perform under his baton at this concert.
Guest Soloist Martha Mooke
Martha Mooke was featured by her hometown paper, The Staten Island Advance, in an interesting article that includes information about the piece she will premiere on Friday with the RCB.
Season Spotlight: Composer John Barnes Chance
This season the Ridgewood Concert Band is paying tribute to composer John Barnes Chance. The RCB website features an interactive page with information about his biography and works.
The featured work for the December concert is Chance’s Second Symphony. The symphony had its origins in a 1962 “contest” between John Barnes Chance and composer Clifton Williams, his teacher and mentor who agreed that each would write a work using the four-note motif: C#-D-F-E. When Chance sent a tape of part of his work to Williams, the latter gave up, and Chance turned to other endeavors. In 1972, the Northwest Music Center in North Dakota commissioned him to write a work dedicated to the Minot State College Wind Ensemble. He resurrected the earlier work and added to it, creating this symphony. His accidental death soon after precluded his ever hearing it performed.
