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Lakeland music students set for annual fall band and choir concert

Student Life - posted on 11/3/2009

New Lakeland College band director Russell Pettitt will conduct his first concert as the college's band, choirs and handbells present their annual fall band and choir concert on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Bradley Fine Arts Building.

After the combined Lakeland choirs open with the college's Alma Mater, the Frauenchor will perform Brahms' "Der Gartner" in German, the Scottish folk song "Ca' the Yowes (sung in dialect), Debussy's "Nuit d'etoiles" in French, the American folk song "Shenandoah" and "Adiemus" (from "Songs of Sanctuary) by Karl Jenkins.

The Lakeland College Concert Choir will continue a very international program with Rachmaninoff's "Bogoroditse Devo" in Russian, "El Cielo Canta Alegria" in Spanish, the popular Irish Folk Song "Danny Boy" and an African piece, "Dubula," sung in Xhosa, one of the official languages spoken in South Africa.

The choirs are led by Janet Herrick, a member of Lakeland's music faculty. Megan Pettitt, instructor of flute, will play flute and recorder with the choirs.

The concert band will perform "Overture for Winds" by Charles Carter, "With Quiet Courage" by Larry Daehn, "Liturgical Music" by Martin Mailman, "Alligator Alley" by Michael Daugherty and "The Lakeland College Fight Song" by Edgar Thiessen.

The works by Carter and Mailman represent standards in the wind band repertoire, while "With Quiet Courage" and "Alligator Alley" have been written in the last 15 years. Daehn is a Wisconsin composer whose music is popular with school bands, honor bands and college bands across the U.S.

"Alligator Alley" features the Lakeland College bassoon section. Daugherty wrote this music to represent a section of Interstate 75 in Florida that is populated by many alligators. The prominent nature of the bassoons in this work is a nod to Daugherty's daughter whom he states "plays a mean bassoon."

"I have really enjoyed working with an outstanding group of Lakeland students this fall," said Pettitt, who is in his first semester at Lakeland. "We are a diverse collection of musicians who have come together to perform great band music. This will be an exciting concert for all."

The Schilcutt Handbells will play in the gallery immediately after the band portion of the concert. They will premiere an arrangement of Aerosmith's "Dream On" by Janet Herrick. A free reception will also be held in the Bradley Theatre gallery following the concert.

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