Schoharie Valley Concert Band Spring Concert - Sunday, April 27th at 3PM - 21 April 2025

COBLESKILL – Conductor Samantha Baldwin has scheduled the Schoharie Valley Concert Band (SVCB) Spring Concert for Sunday, April 27th at 3PM in the Cobleskill-Richmondville High School Auditorium and selected music from several genres to appeal to the audience.  Students are admitted free and the performance is open to the general-public.

 The 3 student band soloist winners from the  22nd Donald Webster Student Solo Festival sponsored by the SVBC on April 5th , will receive cash prizes at the Spring Concert.  In the Grade 6-8 category Juliana Miller, a 7th grade flutist from CRCS,  will receive $250;  in the Grade 9-11 category John Hopkins, a junior flutist from CRCS, will receive $350; and in the Grade 12 category Dinea Rose, a senior flutist from Berne-Knox-Westerlo CS, will receive $500.  

Robert W. Smith’s “Covenant” starts the concert with a bold entrance by the chimes which is followed by brass and woodwind fanfares.  This musical celebratory piece is filled with turbulent energy and brilliant waves of sound.

“Summer Dances” by  Brian Balmages combines dramatic woodwind flourishes with a beautiful and lyrical center section led by the brass.  A powerful ending caps off this dynamic piece.  

“Platte River Hoedown” is based on a Rocky Mountain “hoedown” which is a Western American dance form associated with a jig, reel, or clog dance typically shared amongst friends and neighbors. This good-natured piece has a bright, energetic, and upbeat folksy style.

Shelley Hanson’s wind ensemble arrangement of “El Gato Montes (The Wildcat) Concert March” by Michael Panella comes from the original 1916 opera by the same name.  That opera (and this piece) both feature Spanish melodies and a passionate moment when a matador serenades a beloved young gypsy woman.  

“Tower of Power Greatest Hits” is based on the hip, rhythm and blues, funk, and soul band and horn section music of  Tower of Power, a band which originated in Oakland and has been performing since 1968.  Victor Lopez’s arrangement features “What is Hip?”; “You’re Still a Young Man”; and “Down to the Night Club”. 

“Perthshire Majesty” by Samual Hazo is an original 2004 Scottish ballad, which   musically portrays the  magnificent, lush landscape of County Perthshire in Scotland.  The piece has a beautiful, lush Scottish wind ensemble sound.       

“Highlights from Wicked” is based on the Broadway smash hit music of Stephen Schwartz.  The musical is based on the complex evolution of the relationship between  Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda, who becomes Glinda, the Good Witch, following the arrival of Dorothy in Oz.  The medley includes “Wicked” themes from “No One Mourns the Wicked”; “I’m Not That Girl”; Defying Gravity”; “No Good Deed”; and “For Good”. 

“Jitterbug” is a Robert Buckley arrangement of various swing band tunes.  At the height of the jazz band age, major swing bands had their signature sounds which fans recognized immediately. Swing pieces put these various styles and rhythms together in homage to that vibrant and innovative time in American music.  This piece should have the audience toe-tapping.

The Schoharie Valley Concert Band is open to area residents including high school and college students.  Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings from 7-9:15 PM. in the Cobleskill-Richmondville HS band room.  To join the band in the fall, please contact Conductor Samantha Baldwin at svcbconductor@gmail.com.