Spotlight: Guest Artist Amanda Carr

Amada Carr
jazz vocalist

Amanda Carr is a multi-faceted singer, musician, performer and writer who continues to creatively energize and inspire.

Born into family of musicians, Amanda’s long career has been about exploring music in a variety of environments and creating and performing cross-genres. Beginning as a rock singer/keyboard player in the nightclubs of Boston as a teenager, her love of popular music and singing cover songs laid the foundation for exploring other types of music.

After years of playing and singing rock and pop, Amanda delved into her ‘parents’’ music and began singing and recording the American Songbook which led to 5 albums and global performances and distribution. Her critical acclaim in the Wall Street Journal placed her among a bevy of notable jazz vocalists in the current media sphere.

Coupling her stage presence with hosting, Amanda performed with and then became the CBS radio color commentator for the prestigious nationally broadcast ‘July 4th Boston Pops on the Esplanade’. She continues to host other events and radio shows, including holding the Executive Director position at WICN Public Radio from 2017-2019.

Always inventing, collaborating and inspiring, Amanda enjoys coaching vocal students and crafting entertainment for private events offering a variety of live music and DJ services while still writing and composing for multiple media outlets and other artistic endeavors.

Jazz Vocalist Amanda Carr and a New Composition at Spring Pops

Amanda Carr
guest artist

Jazz singer Amanda Carr, an audience favorite, returns for the Concord Band’s annual Spring Pops concert on Saturday, April 11, 7:00 PM at the 51 Walden Performing Arts Center in Concord. The program features Ms. Carr and her fresh interpretations from the Great American Songbook and New York themed songs. Another special highlight is Lilly’s Story, the premiere of a unique composition inspired by a 12-year-old from Brockton, named Lilly, and her family.

Ms. Carr will perform Cheek to Cheek by Irving Berlin, as well as Cole Porter’s Night and Day and Anything Goes.  Amanda also performs vocals on Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind, and a song that Amanda wrote titled Maybe.  With five jazz vocal recordings, Ms. Carr continues to perform as a solo artist and guest host. A true collaborator, Amanda Carr is a coach for vocal students while still writing and composing music.

Luciano Lopez-Parnetti
composer

The Concord Band collaborated with Sing Me A Story, an organization that commissioned Boston Conservatory student composer, Luciano Lopez-Parnetti, to present Lilly’s Story, a new composition that celebrates Lilly’s love of family, food and music. In her story, Lilly imagines a world where differences are not questioned, but embraced.  Lilly’s personal narrative is reflected in Lopez-Parnetti’s intriguing composition through a harmonically rich wall of sound, punctuated rhythms and overlapping patterns.  A remarkable photo montage, created by Lilly herself, will be on display at the concert. The montage explores what it feels like when others make assumptions about her mixed identity, and the challenges of not always feeling fully seen or understood. Both Lilly’s family and composer Lopez-Parnetti will attend the premiere performance.

Continuing with the New York theme, the Concord Band will evoke the vibrant and frenetic energy of New York City with Warren Barker’s New York: 1927.  The Band also will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with composer Clare Grundman’s classic work, Spirit of ’76.

The Concord Band’s Spring Pops concert, conducted by Music Director James O’Dell, will be open seating at the 51 Walden Performing Arts Center in Concord, 7:00 PM, Saturday, April 11th.  The audience is invited to enjoy complimentary refreshments in the lobby at intermission and after the concert.  Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for kids 12 and under, and can be reserved at www.ticketstage.com/concordband.

Spotlight: Olga Lisovska

Olga Lisovska
soprano

A native of Kyiv, Ukraine, Olga Lisovska holds degrees from Middlebury College, École Normale de Musique d'A. Cortot in Paris, France and L'Institut des Sciences Politiques in Paris, France. Hailed as "soprano extraordinaire" by WBUR, Olga is a critically acclaimed classical soprano, whose career involves both singing on prestigious concert stages, teaching, coaching, and producing performances, events, and festivals.

Olga produced award-winning operas at Commonwealth Lyric Theater, a Boston-based opera company, and Talents of the World's Annual Music Festival at Carnegie Hall. As a performer, Ms. Lisovska’s concerts have been featured on Ukrainian, Italian and American TV and radio, including on the Today Show and WBUR.

Olga is also a founder of a nonprofit organization, Music, Arts and Fashion Productions, whose mission is to promote the arts and to educate.

Ms. Lisovska is a sought-after voice teacher. As diction and public speaking coach she has been working with Tanglewood Festival Chorus at Boston Symphony, AstraZeneca pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, with Odyssey Opera, and New England Conservatory, among others.

Being a passionate connector, Olga serves as Managing Partner at Sky International Center, the largest international social, cultural and business network of 25,000 members in New England. Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Olga co-founded Sky Philanthropy, a non-profit organization, which supports people in crisis. Sky Philanthropy produced two Boston Ukrainian Festivals, which were attended by over 3,000 people (in 2022) and 5,000 people (in 2023) and were featured in major news outlets. Ms. Lisovska has been giving performance lectures about Ukrainian music and song literature to audiences ranging from children, to university students, adults and seniors.

Olga’s life purpose is to inspire positive change through connections for life, coaching and art performances.

FMI: www.OlgaLisovska.com

Spring Pops Supports 51 Walden

Olga Lisovska
soprano

51 Walden presents the Concord Band performing its annual Spring Pops concert as a fundraiser for 51 Walden building repairs. The concert will be held on Saturday April 13, 2024, at 7:00 pm on the music stage of the 51 Walden Performing Arts Center in Concord.

The program will feature a guest artist, Ukrainian soprano Olga Lisovska, singing opera and popular solos including The Kyiv Waltz and George Gershwin’s Somebody Loves Me. 

Hailed as "soprano extraordinaire" by WBUR, Olga is a critically acclaimed classical soprano, whose career involves both singing and producing. Olga founded Music, Arts and Fashion Productions, whose mission is to promote the arts. Olga produced award-winning operas at Commonwealth Lyric Theater and Talents of the World's Annual Music Festival at Carnegie Hall. Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Olga co-founded Sky Philanthropy and produced two Boston Ukrainian Festivals. Olga’s life purpose is to inspire positive change through connections for life, coaching, and art performances.

The Concord Band will also perform Gershwin's An American in Paris, Eduard Strauss' Clear Track Polka, selections from John Williams' Star Wars motion picture soundtracks, and other audience favorites.

51 Walden is home to the Concord Band, the Concord Players, the Concord Orchestra, a dance studio, as well as hosting annual Opera 51 productions. 51 Walden is a non-profit organization, which in 1974 was entrusted by the Town of Concord with conservation and maintenance of the historic Veterans Building. 51 Walden has operated and improved the Performing Arts Center these last 50 years. Spring Pops is sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, Newbury Court, and The Ridick Revis Group, with proceeds supporting essential exterior repairs.

Tickets are available online at ticketstage.com/51WALDEN, at $30 single, or $25 per person at tables of four. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

Please join the Concord Band and 51 Walden for Spring Pops!

Spring Pops! with Guest Artist Olga Lisovska

2024 Spring Pops!

Spotlight: Amanda Carr

Amanda Carr
jazz vocalist

As a vocalist, Amanda is an international recording and performing artist. She is a two-time Boston Music Awards Nominee, and her five jazz albums and live performances have received worldwide critical acclaim for her fresh interpretations of the Great American Songbook. The Wall Street Journal hailed her, "...a true jazz singer in a time of wannabes."

Amanda is a headlining artist at jazz festivals from the US to Italy to Australia. While Amanda performs jazz concerts with artists like Michael Feinstein, she continues to tap into her roots of pop, blues, folk & rock. Amanda is frequent guest vocalist with Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops, The Artie Shaw Orchestra, Harry James Band and the Glenn Miller Orchestra and with many other artists and bands.

As a songwriter, Amanda has contributed original compositions to her own albums, for TV and film productions, and on-demand for private events. In 2014, she wrote the The Boston Anthem, sung by Boston rock luminary Charlie Farren and released as a single.

From 2012-2016, Amanda was the official CBS Radio color commentator for Boston's prestigious annual Boston Pops July 4th Fireworks Spectacular concert on the Esplanade. Amanda has appeared as a guest on the judging panel on the popular, long-running Community Auditions TV talent show. She traveled to China to represent the USA as a musical ambassador, performing hit songs by famous American pop artists in a series of theater shows.

Amanda is a music teacher, formally educated, and has taught in a variety of academic settings. She currently offers specialized, private instruction: Vocal Lessons, Pop Vocal Ensemble, Jazz Vocal Ensemble, Beginning Piano, and Songwriting. Amanda is an accomplished and in-demand mobile DJ and Master of Ceremonies at private events throughout New England.

With five jazz vocal recordings, Amanda continues to perform as a solo artist while remaining a popular guest artist and guest host. A former Executive Director of WICN Public Radio in Worcester, MA,  she is currently a managing partner at Music Management talent agency, Boston.

Spring Pops! with Amanda Carr

Spotlight: Jazz Vocalist Cindy Scott

Guest Artist Cindy Scott
jazz vocalist

Cindy Scott is a passionate, risk-taking heart-singer who isn’t afraid to reveal her emotions in song. Cindy has walked a different path from the average jazz singer. Born and raised in a house full of music and musicians, she chose flute as her first instrument and went to LSU on a music scholarship. Uncertain about life as a professional musician but positive she wanted to travel the world, Cindy got an MBA, learned to speak German and Spanish, and spent several years living and working abroad. During one of these stints she discovered jazz and began singing in the jazz cellars of Germany with local musicians.

Cindy eventually found herself in Houston climbing the corporate ladder by day and playing jazz clubs by night. In 2005, she traded a successful business career for a life devoted to music and moved to New Orleans just months before Hurricane Katrina hit. She decided to return and complete her Masters in Music (Jazz Studies) from the University of New Orleans, a program founded by famed educator Ellis Marsalis and now led by guitar icon Steve Masakowski. She is now firmly rooted in the rich and diverse music scene of the Crescent City.

Cindy has found a happy marriage between her straight-ahead roots and the musical gumbo that pervades New Orleans. She always sings music she connects with, whether jazz standards, unexpected genre-bending choices, or her own originals. Her last CD, Let the Devil Take Tomorrow, was voted New Orleans’ Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, a huge honor in a field that included projects by Christian Scott and Donald Harrison. The recording was also listed in Offbeat Magazine’s top 40 Louisiana releases in all genres.

Guest Artist Cindy Scott
jazz vocalist

March 2014 welcomed Cindy's latest studio recording entitled Historia. Her amazing band includes pianist Randy Porter, bassist Dan Loomis, drummer Jamison Ross, along with Brian Seeger on guitar, Evan Christopher on clarinet, and Shannon Powell on tambourine. Four-time GRAMMY nominee jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson makes a special appearance on two tracks, as well. The recording, which is a blend of jazz standards and Cindy's original songwriting, pays homage to her deep musical roots, the lessons she learned from her family, and the discoveries she's made along the way throughout her own life. In his review of Historia, C. Michael Bailey (All About Jazz) says Scott's new CD is "all that jazz is."

Cindy plays regularly in New Orleans and has had recent performances in Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Mexico, as well as in US cities including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Kansas City. She has appeared at festivals around the world, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the North Sea Jazz Festival.

fmi: http://www.cindyscottmusic.com/

Spring Pops 2022 Poster

Spring Pops 2022 Poster

The Concord Band’s Spring Pops concerts will be held at 8:00 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, April 8 and 9, 2022, at the Center for Performing Arts at 51 Walden, Concord MA.

Jazz singer Cindy Scott, in her debut performance with the Concord Band, is a New Orleans style jazz singer who received a music degree from Louisiana State University and was the winner of the 2010 Best of the Beat Award for "Best Contemporary Jazz Record." In addition to being accompanied by the Band, Cindy will sing in a duo with Special Guest Artist, world-renowned guitarist Gray Sargent.

A new march by noted composer Roger Cichy, titled The Diamond Baton, will at last receive its premiere live performance with Mr. Cichy as Guest Conductor. The composition was commissioned in honor of longtime board member and percussionist, Dan Diamond, in recognition of 50 years of service to the Band.

The program will also feature the Concord Band Saxophone Quartet presenting for the first time delightful renditions of jazz standards by arranger Steve Piermarini, conductor of the Leominster Colonial Band.

Tickets for Friday's performance are available through the Rotary Club of Concord.

Admission to Saturday's concert is free and open to the public. Donations at the door and online are appreciated.

Watch Live Saturday April 9, 8:00 pm

Holiday Pops Virtual Concert

Originally presented December 10 & 11, 2010

The Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden
James O'Dell, Music Director
Steven Barbas, Assistant Conductor
Renee Pfister, Guest Artist

A Concord Tradition Since 1976!

Normally at this time of year, the Concord Band would be presenting our annual Holiday Pops concert. We hope by this time next year we will all be together again performing Holiday Pops 2021 live and in person. In the meantime, please enjoy these videos from Holiday Pops 2010, featuring vocalist Renee Pfister. Link to: Program for this concert.

	Overture to a Winter Festival James Curnow
	Polish Christmas Music Johan de Meij
	Christmas Day Gustav Holst, arr. William Rhoads Steven Barbas, conducting
	Dixieland Jam!  arr. Bob Lowden
	I Feel a Song Comin' On McHugh, Fields & Oppenheimer, arr. Barker Renee Pfister, vocalist
	One Note Samba Antonio Carlos Jobim, arr. Seeco Renee Pfister, vocalist Judy Piermarini, saxophone
	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Martin & Blane, arr. Wagner Renee Pfister, vocalist
	Angels from the Realms of Glory James Montgomery, arr. Robert W. Smith
	Festive Sounds of Hanukah arr. Bill Holcombe
	Let's All Sing for Christmas (Santa Stroll) arr. James D. Ployhar
	A Christmas Portrait arr. Jerry Nowak Sing Along with Renee Pfister, vocalist
	Sleigh Ride Leroy Anderson
	Auld Lang Syne arr. William M. Toland Sing Along with Renee Pfister, vocalist

Spotlight: Soprano Soloist Elaine Crane

Guest Artist Elaine Crane
soprano

Elaine Crane has been hailed by critics as “brilliant”, “…a charming actress”, “…a beautiful voice and a very fine comic actor.” She has performed with many respected  opera and theatre companies, both regionally and nationally.

Gilbert and Sullivan operas are a particular favorite, and “… Crane’s voice and demeanor (are) perfect G&S heroine material…” in roles such as Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance), Josephine Corcoran (H.M.S. Pinafore), Elsie Maynard (Yeomen of the Guard) and Yum-Yum (The Mikado). Personal highlights of Elaine’s many stage roles include performing the role of Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof opposite Tony-nominated stage and screen personality Eddie Mekka, and creating the role of Squaw Sachem in the original musical Song on the Wind by Concord, MA composer David MacAdam, and being featured on the original cast recording, as well as the cast recording of Ebenezer Scrooge: A Christmas Carol by the same composer.

Elaine's recent accolades are winning the 2013 DASH Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Maria in Concord Players' Sound of Music, which also won the award for Best Musical Production) as well as being nominated for the award again in 2015 (Lilli/Kate in CP's Kiss Me Kate, which also won the award for Best Musical Production).

Equally at home on the recital stage, Elaine's voice and stage presence have been described by critics as "sparkling", "exquisite", and "absolutely radiant". As recitalist and oratorio singer, Elaine has been a featured soprano soloist with such groups as the Worcester Chorus, Salisbury Singers, Great Waters Music Festival, Maplewind Arts, and Valley Light Opera. “Her voice soars…” in such works as the Requiems of Mozart and Brahms, Vaughan Williams’ Benedicite, Handel’s Messiah and Beethoven’s Mass in C. Her versatility in concert and recital work spans from opera, oratorio and art song to the lyrical music of Broadway, and Elaine frequently performs a wide variety of sacred and secular concert repertoire throughout the New England area. In a more intimate setting, she also performs for weddings, funerals and other church functions and sacred events. In 2016 Elaine made her debut on NPR as a featured soloist on Says You!

Elaine is a cum laude graduate of the Boston Conservatory, where she studied opera and vocal performance. She is the founder and executive director of Greater Worcester Opera, an organization dedicated to opera performance and education, with whom she currently performs in their touring operas for children. She is also a board member of the New England Gilbert and Sullivan Society (NEGASS). Offstage, Elaine is a stage and musical director, producer, costumer and educator. On a personal note, she resides in Central Massachusetts with her husband and 5 children.

fmi: http://www.elainecrane.com/

Elaine Crane Joins The Concord Band for Holiday Pops

Elaine Crane
soprano

Noted soprano Elaine Crane will sing holiday favorites as The Concord Band holds its 43rd annual Holiday Pops concerts at 8:00 pm on Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14, 2019 at the Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden St in Concord, MA. Ms. Crane will sing Cantique de Noel, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and White Christmas, and will lead the audience in a sing-along of favorite holiday carols. Music director James O’Dell will lead the Band in traditional holiday music, and Assistant Conductor Steve Barbas will conduct the rhythmic The Eighth Candle to celebrate Chanukah.

Elaine Crane is the founder and executive director of Greater Worcester Opera, an organization dedicated to opera performance and education for all ages. A graduate of the Boston Conservatory, she has sung numerous lead roles in area Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and Broadway musicals, and has been soloist with many area choruses in such works as Beethoven’s Mass in C and the Requiems of Brahms, Mozart, and Rutter.

Tickets for Concord Band Holiday Pops are available in tables for four (with a few for six on the stage) at $30 for adults and $15 for children under 12, and include free snacks, sparkling cider, water, and soft drinks. To order tickets and choose table locations online, visit www.ticketstage.com/concordband/. More information about the Concord Band and the Holiday Pops program can be found on Facebook, and at the Band’s blog, blog.concordband.com. If you need assistance, please leave a voice message on the Band’s phone line at 978-897-9969.

Spotlight: Jazz Vocalist John Stevens

Guest Artist John Stevens
Jazz Vocalist

When I was five I was introduced by my grandparents, Roy and Isobel Boller to the Great American Songbook and classic tunes of Dean Martin, Cole Porter, Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington, and, of course, my all-time favorite vocalist Frank Sinatra. There was something special about Frank. He was so unique and smooth with his phrasing. No one can perform like the Chairman Of The Board.

I participated in school choruses and choirs from 3rd grade through my senior year of high school. NYSSMA adjudications, All County, Area All-State, and All State choirs were all an important part of my training. When I was 8, I began taking piano lessons. My grandmother even gave me her piano so that I could practice. I joined the Western New York Children’s Choir, Buffalo Choral Arts Society, and American Music Abroad Empire Tour, which gave me the opportunity to perform in such places as New Orleans, Hawaii, France, Austria, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. Never having been out of the country, touring with these choirs was an amazing experience. Little did I know that it would be my first trip to New York City that would change my life forever.

Spotlight: Guest Artist Amanda Carr

Guest Artist Amanda Carr

Amanda Carr recently joined public radio station WICN, Jazz+ for New England, as Executive Director, having been involved with the station for over 20 years following her first-ever interview as a jazz artist. In addition to her music and production background, Amanda brings her sales and marketing knowledge to her role at the station.

Amanda is an international recording and touring artist who has received worldwide critical acclaim of her fresh interpretations of the Great American Songbook. The Wall Street Journal hails her, “...a true jazz singer in a time of wannabes”.

While still performing and tapping into her roots of pop, blues, folk & rock with artists like the legendary James Montgomery and Myanna, Amanda has been a guest vocalist with Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops, The Artie Shaw Orchestra, Harry James Band and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, among many other guest vocal appearances. A headline artist at EuroJazz Festival, she recorded “Live in San Giorgio” with Trio Martinale in Torino, Italy.

Her Portuguese rendition of ‘Mas Que Nada’ labeled her the Top Three Vocalists of 2009 in the jazz category in Brazil’s ‘Rio Review’. Amanda successfully created and headlined a cross-country tour show of  “A Tribute to Peggy Lee” which sold out thirty dates and still remains a draw for audiences.

Among her corporate and commercial work, she has composed and performed music for two PBS documentaries, one being ‘The Story of Golf’ which received an Emmy Nomination, and also acclaim for her musical contributions to ‘Boston Red Sox: 100 Years of Baseball History’. Her original work with childrenʼs music for the  ‘Lilʼ Iguana’ series is among her favorite composing and recording projects. She is the writer and composer for The Boston Anthem which has been adopted by major Boston sports teams, corporations, organizations and schools.

Her most ambitious project, a big band album entitled “Common Thread”, debuted on the top of multiple Jazz Best Seller charts and in the top 50 on Billboard. Paying homage to her big band musician parents, Amanda founded ‘American Big Band Preservation Society’ in 2009,  a non-profit that preserves the essence of American musical heritage.

She was chosen to represent the USA in a music ambassadorship to Shanghai, China in 2014. Currently, she is Artist Liaison for the esteemed organization, ‘Boston Women in Media and Entertainment’ authoring a popular online interview series. Amanda is an official CBS Radio commentator for Boston’s prestigious annual “Boston Pops July 4th” concert on the Esplanade with WBZ News Radio.

With five jazz vocal recordings, global distribution and airplay, Amanda continues to perform as a solo artist while remaining a popular guest artist. Amanda was presented with the Paul Harris Fellowship Award for 2015 by Rotary International, and she was nominated for 2016 Boston Music Awards Jazz Artist of the Year. Closer to home, Amanda Carr is one of only two artists in history named Honorary Member of the Concord Band.

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Source: www.amandacarr.com Used with permission.

Concord Band Presents “Music from the Movies and More!”

To continue its 60th anniversary season, the Concord Band will hold its annual Spring Pops concerts at 8 pm, April 12 and 13 at 51 Walden Performing Arts Center, 51 Walden St., Concord.

In addition to Pops soloist Amanda Carr, the concert will include American Idol finalist John Stevens and Boston-based jazz drummer Joe Hunt, who will help the band present “Music from the Movies and More!” They will sing solos from the American songbook and jazz duets in a nightclub setting.

To introduce and supplement the vocal performances, Music Director James O’Dell will lead the Concord Band in a medley of songs by Irving Berlin and music from the Disney movie and hit Broadway musical, Aladdin. The band will also premiere a new dance number, Rainbow Samba, by former Concord Band percussionist Anthony Hyde.

Amanda Carr
Guest Artist

Carr, an honorary member of the Concord Band, has sung with the Boston Pops and has toured the United States with her own Peggy Lee tribute show. She has been a big band vocalist with the Artie Shaw, Harry James and Glenn Miller orchestras. She has also been a headline artist at the Euro-Jazz Festival in Italy. Carr performed at the band’s 50th anniversary concert in 2009 and has had several band-vocal pieces arranged for her performances with the Concord Band.

John Stevens
Guest Artist

Stevens got his start as a finalist on American Idol and has sung with the Boston Pops, the Beantown Swing Orchestra and currently fronting his own John Stevens Band. He has released albums of jazz and big-band standards and his first album of original songs in 2015.

Stevens and Carr will sing duets and solos in their Pops performances with the Concord Band, backed up by Hunt, who played with Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie in the 1960s. Hunt taught at Berklee School of Music and New England Conservatory, and was a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masters Orchestra.

The April 12 Pops concert is sponsored, for the 42nd consecutive year, by the Rotary Club of Concord . April 12 tickets are available through Rotary at rotaryclubofconcord.org.

The Concord Band sponsors the April 13 concert. Tickets for April 13 are available for $25 each at tables for four (and a few tables for six) with free refreshments at ticketstage.com/concordband.

51 Walden Becomes Concord Cabaret Club

Spring Pops Concerts

Friday & Saturday April 12 & 13 • 8 PM

The Concord Band Spring Pops concerts will feature the spectacular talents of honorary Band member Amanda Carr and American Idol alumnus John Stevens. 51 Walden will be transformed into the Concord Cabaret Club complete with mood lighting and sounds, on the theme, Music from the Movies and More! The vocal talents of Amanda and John will swoon with a variety of duets and solos including New York, New York, I Had The Time Of My Life, Over The Rainbow, Hello Dolly, and other perennial favorites.

SPRING POPS featuring jazz vocalists Amanda Carr and John Stevens Friday, April 12, 2019 • 8 PM Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Concord Tickets: rotaryclubofconcord.org or call Noel at 978-505-2783 Saturday, April 13, 2019 • 8 PM Sponsored by The Concord Band Adults–$25, children under 12–$15. Tickets: www.ticketstage.com/concordband email reservations@concordband.org or call 978-897-9969

Spring Pops Concert Features Vocalist Amanda Carr

Amanda Carr
vocalist

SPRING POPS featuring jazz vocalist Amanda Carr Friday, April 6, 2018 at 8 pm. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Concord For ticket prices and reservations, Call: 978-394-5158 or 978-505-2783 Email: sjpaving@aol.com Saturday, April 7, 2019 at 8pm. Sponsored by the Concord Band Tickets: Adults—$25, children (under 12)—$15 Order online http://www.ticketstage.com/concordband Call: 978-897-9969

Guest Artist Amanda Carr, perennial favorite with Concord Band Pops concert audiences, rejoins the Band at 51 Walden on April 6 and 7 for Spring Pops, 2018. The fabulous Ms. Carr, who is one of only two Honorary Members of the Concord Band, will be featured in a wide variety of musical selections from the American Songbook, including jazz and swing originals, as well as arrangements specially commissioned for Amanda and the Concord Band. Carr’s multi-styled vocal work and fresh interpretations will delight both audience and band members alike! The Concord Band Jazz Trio will join the exciting and fun-filled evening of music for a special tune with Amanda.

Songs & Dances

2017 Fall Concert Poster

The Concord Band’s 59th Season begins Saturday, October 21st

Join the Concord Band as it begins its 59th year of music-making, continuing a multiple seasons-long exploration of some of the great works for symphonic concert band. The Band’s Fall Concert, Songs and Dances, will be presented at the Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden Street in Concord, MA, on Saturday, October 21, 2017, at 8:00 PM. Admission is free; contributions are greatly appreciated. The 2017–2018 season begins by featuring two outstanding soloists, Concord Band alto saxophonist John Rabinowitz, and Boston Conservatory at Berklee graduate student, mezzo-soprano Alyssa Becker.

Song and Dance* by Richard L. Saucedo is a type of fanfare/overture that begins with an obvious dance rhythm but quickly transforms to a non-traditional dance feel and mood, somewhat “tongue in cheek” in nature.

John Rabinowitz
alto saxophone

Claude Debussy’s musical gem The Girl With The Flaxen Hair showcases the beautiful timbre (tone color) of the alto saxophone performed by Concord Band soloist John Rabinowitz in a lush and quasi-improvisational harmonic setting by John Moss.

Court Festival* by William P. Latham is written in the form and style of 16th- and 17th-century instrumental dance music. The four-movement suite includes “Intrada”, “Pavan”, “Galliard”, and “The Horses’ Branle”.

Cantus is the Latin word for song, and this unique work Cantus (Song of Night)*, with prepared CD accompaniment by composer Thomas Doss, presents a melodious, vocal-like meditative mood and character.

Alyssa Becker
mezzo-soprano

Five Folk Songs for Soprano and Band* by Bernard Gilmore was cited as “Best Original Composition” at the 1967 College Band Directors Conference”. Mezzo-soprano soloist Alyssa Becker joins the Concord Band in presenting this setting featuring five movements representing Irish, American, Greek, Spanish, and Yiddish folk songs.

American composer David R. Holsinger wrote Havendance for his daughter, Haven, with the intention of capturing the spirit, energy, and enthusiasm of the 8- year-old as she whirled, twirled, danced, and dreamed of becoming a ballerina.

Old American Songs presents four traditional songs, originally arranged by Aaron Copland for orchestra, in a concert-band setting by John Moss. The songs include “The Little Horses”, “The Golden Willow Tree”, “Simple Gifts”, and “Ching-A-Ring Chaw.”

Prolific American composer Frank Ticheli has written more than eighty works for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensemble, and concert band/wind ensemble. His jazz-influenced composition Blue Shades was a featured work on the 2017 Concord Band Winter Concert. Cajun Folk Songs pays tribute to the people of the old Cajun culture in two movements, the first flowing and lyrical, the second lively and full of mixed meters.

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*Concord Band premier performance

Spotlight: Guest Artist Alyssa Becker

Alyssa Becker
Mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-soprano, Alyssa Becker, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, graduated cum laude from Drake University in 2016 with her Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance. Currently Ms. Becker is a second year Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy student at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee under the tutelage of Kathryn Wright. She also serves as adjunct voice faculty at the Boston Arts Academy and holds a private studio at Amy Dancz Vocal Studio.

Previously, Ms. Becker has worked with vocal high school programs in the Des Moines area as well as her own home studio. Most recently, Ms. Becker was the mezzo-soprano soloist with The Boston Conservatory at Berklee Conductor’s Choir performing Haydn’s Salve Regina.

Ms. Becker received her Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Leanne Freeman-Miller, where she performed Mrs. Gibbs (understudy) and chorus in Ned Rorem’s Our Town, Meg in Verdi’s Falstaff, and Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.

In 2015, Ms. Becker traveled to Bejing, China, to perform at Minzu University. She participated in opera scenes including Lakme (Mallika), Die Zauberflöte (3rd Lady), and La Clemenza di Tito (Annio).

Ms. Becker is a two-time state winner of the Music Teachers National Association competition in Iowa and in 2015 placed second in the West Central Division regional competition. At the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition, Ms. Becker has received honorable mention, been a two-year semifinalist, and placed third.

Concord Band Spring Pops with Guest Vocalist Amanda Carr

In what has become a Concord tradition each spring, jazz vocalist Amanda Carr will be joining the Concord Band at its Spring Pops concerts on Friday and Saturday April 8 and 9, 2016, 8:00 pm, at 51 Walden (The Performing Arts Center) in Concord.

At the pops-style concerts with tables and refreshments, Amanda will sing new arrangements of Girl from Ipanema, When I Fall in Love, and Cry Me a River. She will also reprise favorite performances of William McManus’s arrangement for Amanda Carr of They All Laughed and Warren Barker’s arrangement of ‘S Wonderful, which also features a tenor saxophone solo by Judy Piermarini.

Amanda Carr
Guest Artist

Amanda Carr is the only honorary member of the Concord Band and an internationally-acclaimed Boston-based jazz vocalist who has been lauded for her performances in the Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. She began singing professionally as a teenager in the rock and pop genre, playing in Boston-area nightclubs before focusing her attention on big band music. Paying homage to her big band musician parents, Amanda founded the American Big Band Preservation Society in 2009, a non-profit organization that helps preserve America’s musical heritage. Since 2006, Concord Band Spring Pops audiences have eagerly awaited the return of Amanda Carr as guest soloist with the Band.

Music Director Jim O’Dell has chosen a variety of concert band music to round out the Spring Pops program. From the Band’s Winter Concert, O’Dell selected The Redwoods by Rossano Galante and Selections from “Into the Woods” by Stephen Sondheim. Other numbers include Leroy Anderson and Disney movie medleys, along with traditional Dixieland and march music.

Friday’s Pops concert is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Concord for the 41st consecutive year; tickets to that concert are available from Rotary by email or by calling 508-878-6577. The Saturday concert is sponsored by the Concord Band. Tickets at tables for 4 at $25 for adults and $15 for children under 12 are available through the Concord Band’s telephone line, 978-897-9969, email us at reservations@concordband.org, or online at MkTix.com. Free refreshments are provided.

Come celebrate spring at 51 Walden with the Concord Band!