BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro Union High School Music Department presents its annual Pops Concert on Thursday, May 25, at 7 p.m. in the BUHS auditorium. No admission will be charged for this concert and the public is invited to attend.
This will be the final concert for the senior musicians as well as choral director Patty Meyer, who is departing after 13 years at BUHS. Chorus alumni are urged to attend the concert and help pay tribute to Mrs. Meyer. The concert will include performances by the chorus, Madrigals, band, jazz band, and jazz workshop.
The chorus will present highlights from the 1987 hit Broadway musical and 2012 movie Les Misérables. Many soloists will be featured.
The band's program includes John Philip Sousa's 1893 march, “The Liberty Bell.” Senior Honors Band student Elijah Taylor will conduct the band's performance of the overture to Crazy for You, a 1992 musical built around well-known songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Senior clarinetist Phelan Muller will be featured on the bagpipes in Michael Sweeney's “Celtic Farewell,” based on the traditional Irish song “The Parting Glass.”
Jazz Workshop will present “Chano's Blues,” composed by ensemble co-director Eugene Uman. Their program also includes two jazz standards - “Doxy” by Sonny Rollins and “Una Más” by Kenny Dorham.
The jazz band's performance includes Charles Mingus's tribute to saxophonist Lester Young, “Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat,” featuring senior vocalist Gabrielle Walton. They will also perform the Artie Shaw band arrangement of Cole Porter's “Begin the Beguine” featuring senior clarinetist Elijah Taylor.
Bob Mitzer's “Mofongo” is in a Latin style and the jazz band's interpretation will be enhanced by contributions from local Latin percussionists Julian Gerstin (congas) and William Rodriguez (timbales).
Madrigals will present “Africa” as performed by Toto. They will also sing “Run to You,” an original a cappella work by members of Pentatonix. Their final piece is “Mont Blanc: Lines Written in the Vale of Chamouni,” an original composition by senior Elijah Taylor based on the poem by Percy Shelley.
Stephen Rice directs the band and jazz band. Eugene Uman and Rob Freeberg lead Jazz Workshop. Patty Meyer directs vocal ensembles. For more information, call 802-451-3511.