USU Alumni Band Presents Final Concert of the 2010 Summer Season
Utah State University’s Alumni Band wraps up its 2010 season with its final concert of the summer Sunday, Aug. 1, with a 7 p.m. concert. The traditional outdoor concert is free and open to the public.
Sunday’s program features several special guest conductors, including Larry Smith and Glen Fifield, both professors emeritus of music at USU, and Barbara Day Turner, known to Cache Valley audiences and beyond for her work as one of the conductors with the Utah Festival Opera Company.
In case of bad weather or impending rain, the concert will be moved to the Kent Concert Hall in the Chase Fine Arts Center.
“There’s so much talent in this community, we always run out of concerts before we run out of guests to feature,” said Nicholas Morrison, music department faculty member and Alumni Band director. “Of course, the Quad is a perfect location, and kids of all ages will love the tunes we have planned.”
Two tunes conducted by Smith form the centerpiece of the program, “Easy to Love” by Cole Porter and “Someone to Watch Over Me” by George Gershwin. Both pieces are arranged by Smith especially for the USU Alumni Band, and both feature his daughter, Monica Fronk, with solo jazz vocals with the band. Smith, along with his wife, Bonnie, was honored in 2009 with a USU Alumni Association Alumni Service Award for service to the music department, to music education and to the alumni band.
Featuring Smith and Fronk in the final concert of the season has become a tradition for the band, Morrison said.
Fifield, who retired from the band this year after more than 40 years playing both trumpet and tuba returns to conduct “U.S. Army March” by Darcy.
“Glen is a great colleague with such a gentle way as a teacher, and he was the glue that held the band together during the time of transition between Max Dalby’s retirement and the mid-1990s,” Morrison said. “Dr. Dalby continued to conduct, but Dr. Fifield was personnel manager and a one-man equipment crew. The band has missed having him in the brass section, and we’re delighted that he has agreed to return to conduct.”
Rounding out the program is a preview of next year’s Utah Festival Opera production of “South Pacific,” conducted for the Alumni Band concert by Day Turner, music administrator/conductor for the Utah Festival Opera Company.
Day Turner is founder and music director of the San José Chamber Orchestra, now in its 20th season. An ardent advocate for new music, she has premiered more than 80 new works just with the SJCO. Her resume also includes almost 100 operas and musical theater pieces. Most recently she has conducted the Redwood Symphony, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes, “Così fan tutte” for West Bay Opera, John Adams’ “Nixon In China” for Portland Opera, “The King and I” for American Musical Theatre of San José and “La Barber of Seville” and “George M!” for Utah Festival Opera.
“It’s a great honor to feature Maestra Day Turner with the band,” said Morrison.
“We would like to thank our audience for sharing part of their summer with the Utah State University Summer Alumni Band,” said Morrison. “It is always gratifying to see the diversity of ages that attend our concerts, and we look forward to seeing many of you at our USU Bands concerts during the academic year.”