December 5, 2005

From tubas to strings, Purdue bands to offer holiday concerts

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Kicking off a weekend of holiday concerts, Purdue University Bands will herald the return of the offbeat "TubaChristmas," a caroling party for tuba players and fans of those low-voiced instruments, at 7 p.m. Friday (Dec. 9) in the lobby of Stewart Center.

"Holiday Cheer & All That Jazz" featuring singers, dancers and jazzy sounds of the holidays will immediately follow the tuba concert at 8 p.m. Completing the trio of December events is the Purdue Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 11) at the Long Center.

Last year, more than 50 tubas showed up for "TubaChristmas," a musical event that dates to the 1970s and is annually staged in hundreds of cities across the United States and in foreign countries. Jay Gephart, director of the Greater Lafayette's TubaChristmas said the local concert draws tuba players from Tippecanoe County as well as Kentland, Crawfordsville, Monticello and other towns in the area.

"Many of these musicians are the lone tuba player in their band, so it's a rare treat to be around 50 other tuba players," he said.

The tuba concert is traditional in the truest sense of the word, Gephart said.

"Nowadays you hear all kinds of twists on Christmas music," he said. "This event goes back to traditional carols performed the way you sing them when caroling with friends." It will include tunes like "Deck the Halls" and "Silent Night," and audience can sing along whenever they want.

More holiday music will be featured in "Holiday Cheer & All That Jazz" after the tuba concert in Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse.

"Of all my Christmas concerts, this is my best – and my last," said Bill Kisinger, who is retiring as American Music Review director.

At Purdue, he has tackled Christmas music for one ensemble or another for 37 years. Five years ago, the American Music Review big band with singers, which Kisinger founded, became one of the featured groups at "Holiday Cheer & All That Jazz."

For his holiday swan song, the Dec. 9 concert will feature singers on two of Kisinger's personal favorites, "White Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." He's also fond of Joe Jackson's arrangement of "Little Drummer Boy" done in Count Basie style, which features lots of interplay between the band and its drummer.

Other seasonal tunes on the program include "Swingin' at Santa's Place," "Winter Wonderland," "The Christmas Song" and "Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!" In true Kisinger fashion, he can't construct a holiday concert without throwing in a few tunes that are great for any season. The concert features a vocal jazz arrangement of "My Favorite Things," Dizzy Gillespie's "Woodyn' You" and Cole Porter's "I Love You."

The concert also features short holiday-oriented sets by the Lab Jazz Band and Concert Jazz Band, both directed by M.T. "Mo" Trout.

On Sunday, Purdue Orchestra director Jay Gephart will debut the program's newest element, its Chamber Orchestra, in a short program of music from the classical period.

The Chamber Orchestra will treat the audience to Beethoven's "Overture" from Prometheus and Haydn's "Symphony No. 102 in B Flat Major" to open the concert. Creating a chamber orchestra, which focuses on a more select instrumentation, offers Purdue musicians the chance to explore a wider repertoire in the baroque and classical periods.

Multiple challenges exist in performing this kind of music, Gephart said.

"It's often difficult for younger players to embrace the style necessary to play classical literature," he said. "The role of the winds is different and bowing techniques for the strings differ too, but the students are embracing the challenge."

Presenting a contrast in style, the full 100-member orchestra, with complete brass and percussion instrumentation plus harp, will come together to be featured in Von Suppe's "Pique Dame Overture," Vaughan Williams' seasonal "Fantasy on Greensleeves" and four movements from the Delibes' ballet "Sylvia" to round out the Sunday program.

Writer: Kathy Matter, Purdue Bands public relations director, (765) 496-6785, kcmatter@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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