The blare of brass will signify the beginning of the 2018-19 Fine Arts Series at The College at Brockport when the Eastman School of Music Trombone Choir plays a concert in the Tower Fine Arts Center on Friday, September 7, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17/General, $12/Senior Citizens, Brockport Alumni, Faculty and Staff, and $9/Students. They are available online at http://fineartstix.brockport.edu and at the Tower Box Office for purchase by phone at 585-395-2787, or in person at 180 Holley Street, Brockport.
Appearing on the program is J.S. Bach’s “Passacaglia in C minor,” arranged for trombone choir. Though the original manuscript for the work has been lost to the ages, it was most likely composed for the organ, given Bach’s position as court organist. A passacaglia is a musical form usually set in triple meter in which a simple eight-bar melody is repeated throughout the work while a series of continuous variations are layered over it. The C-Minor Passacaglia consists of a set of twenty variations.
The “Trois chansons” by Claude Debussy are from a 1908 collection, although two of the three works were written earlier. The works connect the styles of the past with the harmonic techniques of the time; the texts are by Charles d’Orléans, prince and poet, who was imprisoned in England after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
More contemporary works will be heard, as well, including another “Passacaglia” – this one by Allen Chase – selections from Eugene Bozza’s “Three Pieces for Trombone Quartet,” and an arrangement of “Ave Maria.”
Founded in 1941 by Emory Remington, the Eastman Trombone Choir is highly regarded around the world as one of the best ensembles of its kind. Currently, Professors Mark Kellogg and Larry Zalkind serve as co-directors. Established as an extension of a private trombone class to include a musical ensemble experience, the scope of the Choir now includes more contemporary music and concert activities. The ensemble has performed at several International Trombone Festivals and, in 2001, won the International Trombone Association Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition.
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