SOUTH JERSEY AREA
WIND ENSEMBLE
South Jersey's Finest Concert Band
Southern New Jersey's Finest Wind Band and
Recipient of the 2006 J.P. Sousa Foundation's Sudler Silver Scroll Award
| Concerts |
Side-by-Side Concert Keith Brion to Conduct SJAWE April 19, 2010 The Richard Stockton College of NJ at 7:30 P.M. Admission $10 (All Seats Reserved) Click to Order Tickets at Stockton Box Office
KEITH BRION In the 1970's he conducted the Yale Band in New Haven, at Carnegie Hall, and took that band on numerous national and international tours including an all-Ives concert at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. In the 1990’s he served as interim band director at San Jose State. During the 80's and 90's he has led most of Americas orchestras as a pops conductor with an emphasis on the music of John Philip Sousa, Percy Grainger and Victor Herbert. These include the Boston Pops, Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony, etc. He has appeared numerous times with the Goldman Band in New York the Stockholm Symphonic Wind Orchestra, the Texas Wind Symphony, the Allentown Band and many other professional and military bands throughout the country, including the Army Field Band and West Point Bands. Mr. Brion's career includes extensive public school teaching in New Jersey, where he also founded the North Jersey Wind Symphony. He is a former member of the New Jersey Symphony and taught at William Paterson and Montclair State Universities. Keith Brion has published numerous editions of the music of Percy Grainger, Charles Ives, and DW Reeve as well as over thirty new editions of the music of John Philip Sousa. Mr. Brion records for Delos and Naxos records, and currently has over twenty commercial band and orchestral recordings including the music of Grainger, Hovhaness, Victor Herbert and Sousa. In the summer of 1999, he began a new series of 16 CD’s which will encompass the complete Sousa band music for the Naxos “American Classic Series” with London's Royal Artillery Band and the Royal Norwegian Naval Band. Ten have been completed to date. He has recently completed recording the seven wind symphonies of Alan Hovhaness for Naxos with the wind orchestras of the Royal Academy in Glasgow and Trinity College in London.
Keith W. Hodgson, Musical Director and Conductor --------------------------------------
Ron Poorman, Associate Conductor --------------------------------------------------------- Monday, August 9, 2010 Brigantine North School Concert - 7P.M. --------------------------------------------------------- Monday, August 16, 2010 STAC Concert - 7:30P.M. ---------------------------------------------------------- Saturday, August 21, 2010 Mainland Regional High School at 7:30 P.M. ----------------------------------------------- Encore Sunday, November 21, 2010 Surflight Theater in Beach Haven, NJ at 2:00 P.M. Adults $20 Children $5
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ALWAYS MAKE TIME TO HEAR THE MUSIC!
On 12 January 2007, morning commuters passing through the L'Enfant Plaza Station of the subway line in Washington, D.C. were, unknown to them, treated to a free mini violin concert. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that a thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Three days earlier, Bell had played to a full house at Boston's Symphony Hall, where fairly good seats went for $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?