RSS 2.0 FeedDecember 22, 2010 ~ Happy Holidays!, Classical
Community comes together for Christmas
With bright red vests, Santa hats, reindeer antlers and of course, loads of Christmas cheer, the Mid America Freedom Band under Skip Schrock proudly took to the stage and graciously shared it with the youngsters from PerformOUTKC during their holiday concert.
In the spirit of togetherness, the Mid American Freedom Band and PerformOUTKC joined forced for their holiday concert on Sunday afternoon at Unity Temple. It was a great moment for PerformOUTKC, as this concert marked their first public appearance after three years of roster-building and is the start of a very busy season for the small cadre of proud 14–20-year-old GLBTA singers and Artistic Director Jason Coats. A safe holiday concert was the perfect coming out (pardon the pun) for the ensemble especially when coupled with the history of the MAFB: their own launch party was assisted in 2003 by members of St. Louis Band Together.
The ensembles wisely performed a plethora of seasonal arrangements: some serious and some tongue-in-cheek. Together, they left the majority of the jocularity to the delightful droll emcee Philip “Blue Owl” Hooser.
From the opening notes of Ding, Dong Merrily on High, it was evident that the MAFB suffers from an unusual predicament I never encountered before in a volunteer community band: they are bottom heavy. Whereas most groups will have an overabundance of flutes and clarinets, MAFB has a two-to-one ratio of trombones and tubas to flutes and clarinets. The opposite is the norm in comparable organizations. This structure presented some unique challenges and some benefits—how often do you struggle to hear the piccolo player? and the fundamental musical pyramid was naturally preserved—an interesting dichotomy for sure. The ensemble makeup served them well in Prelude on Greensleeves, but less so during Baby, It’s Cold Outside.
As with many community groups of varying ability levels, the pieces skewed to the less challenging side and problems like intonations, squeaks, wrong notes, rocky transitions, and small range of ensemble dynamics occasionally reared their unmusical heads. While they were most noticeable in Midnight Sleighride, they were pleasantly absent from the delicate Prelude on Greensleeves and the cheerful We Need a Little Christmas.
What struck me most about PerformOUTKC’s performance was the bravery and self-actualization of the performers. Maybe it’s the Glee-effect or changing times and attitudes, but I could not have been more proud of the eight young performers who rightfully showed off their musical chops for the diverse and enthusiastic audience. The octet showed off their considerable-for-their-age skills in the mixed meter Angels from Realms on Glory and was rightfully over-the-top in the female-led Twelve Days after Christmas.
Mid America Freedom Band and PerformOUTKC proudly showcase Kansas City’s diversity. Instead of hiding or flaunting, they exist to perform to the best of their abilities. If that isn’t a reason to don your gay apparel and celebrate, then what is?
REVIEW:
Mid America Freedom Band and PerformOUTKC
Together for the Holidays
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Unity Temple on the Plaza
707 W. 47th St, Kansas City, MO
For more information visit http://mafbmusic.org/joomla/ and http://www.performoutkc.org/
Editor-in-Chief; Traditional and New Classical Contributor
Lee Hartman holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (D.M.A., M.M.) and the University of Delaware (B.M.). At the University of Delaware, he received a Dean's Scholar position enabling him to pursue an individually designed academic program combining music education and composition. At the University of Missouri-Kansas City he served for three years as the Assistant Director to Musica Nova, the conservatory's new music ensemble, while teaching a variety of composition classes.
In 2007 he was invited to both the Iceland Academy of the Arts in Reykjavík, Iceland and the Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China to give lectures and master classes in composition. In the summer of 2009, Hartman served as an orchestra manager for the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and Aspen Opera Theater Center for various performances. He serves on the National Executive Committee of the Society of Composers, Inc. as Submissions Coordinator. His primary composition instructors include James Mobberley, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Paul Rudy, John Beall, and Jennifer Margaret Barker. He currently teaches music theory at the University of Central Missouri and general music classes at Park University having previously taught at UD (2007–08) and UMKC (2006–07).
His compositions can be found at http://www.leehartmanmusic.com
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