MUSICAL ARTISTRY FROM MILITARY BAND

Bands and band music can be very much as professional as the finest symphony orchestras, declared Professor James Keene, Director of Bands and Professor of Music at the University of Illinois.

Professor Keene is hoping the audience will experience just that when he conducts the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Central Band in a variety of wind band works at Victoria Concert Hall on 24 May.

"What we hope to bring to the audience is the sense of the fact that bands are real artistic medium and not just something to just listen to while you are passing time, but something to experience in terms of a complete musical sense and a complete presentation," he said.

The repertoire for the 'In Harmony 21' performance includes 'Lincolnshire Posy , 'Scenes from the Louvre', 'The Golden Horn' with guest trumpeter James Zingara and the 'Woodland Serenade' with guest saxophonist Lynn Klock.

Accompanying Professor Keene are several other music professors from various US universities.

The idea for this performance was first mooted after Professor Keene had the opportunity to work with the SAF Central Band during the Singapore band convention two years ago.

Both parties enjoyed working together and started exploring the idea of putting together an entire concert, instead of just one number over a period of time, and now, it has finally come to fruition.

"The experience of working with them is very exciting because we have some different concepts and some ensemble concepts," said Professor Keene.

"I'm pleased to be able to bring 35 years of experience teaching and conducting and teach them music that they've never seen before and never performed before and in most cases haven't even heard before, so it's very exciting to introduce that repertoire, which is very advanced, to them."

During Professor Keene's 21-year tenure at Illinois, the Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony, under his direction, have been selected to perform for every major music conference in the US, have toured throughout the country, as well as in Great Britain.

In addition to producing an extensive recording series for Mark Recordings, the Symphonic Band was featured on the Masterpiece Series distributed by EMI-Toshiba of Japan. These recordings have been broadcast on National Public Radio in the U. S., as well as radio programs in Asia, Australia, and several European countries.

Complimentary tickets to 'In Harmony 21' are available by phone reservation only. Please call 6477-2795 during office hours. Tickets are limited to two per reservation, subject to availability.

In Harmony 21
24 May 2006, Wednesday
7.30pm
Victoria Concert Hall

For more information, visit SAF Central Band