Dance Until You Drop!

Program notes by Richard M. Kesner ​Kevin Beavers (1971 - ), Vintage Collection [World Premiere] Vintage Collection (2024) is a playful and nostalgic journey through diverse 20th-century musical forms and styles. Each movement draws inspiration from the past, reimagining it with a modern twist while celebrating the vitality and charm of bygone eras. The forms span a wide stylistic gamut: a humoresque in ‘That Smirk,’ a minuet in ‘Minuet Antique,’ and a samba in ‘Evening Attire.’ ‘The Stinger’ channels a rock ethos, while ‘Stroke of Green’ draws on a jazzy pop idiom. Davor Bobić (1968 - ), Zagorski Slike Zagorski Slike (2006) – Zagorski images or scenes – draws on the Zagorje region of Croatia which is known especially for its nationalistic music, dance and folklore traditions. Bobic gives us three dramatic movements, each its own miniature tone poem. The first is entitled: Zagorje in Primordial Times, describing the creation of Zagorje. The second movement - The Benja Legend - describes Benja, a mysterious village in the northern part of Zargoje. The final section - Zagorje Wedding depicts a typical Zagorje wedding full of drunken fun! Luis Serrano Alarcon (1972 - ), Concertango Alto Saxophone Soloist, Ana Diaz Asencio Our alto saxophone soloist, Ana Diaz Asencio was born in Sevilla, Spain. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree at the Sevilla Conservatory and Master’s Degree at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Ana is currently completing her Doctorate with the renowned saxophone player Ken Radnofsky at Boston University where she serves as the saxophone teaching assistant. In addition to performing and teaching, Ana’s eagerness for artistic development has led her to explore other roles within the music world, including conducting, research, and music administration. Concertango (2006) is first and foremost a work of fusion. On the one hand there is the instrumental fusion, combining a classical symphonic group (in this instance CRWE) with a jazz trio (piano, bass, drums). Above these two groups, the saxophone soloist is the absolute protagonist. On the other hand, the work offers stylistic fusion. We can find in this piece different stylistic reminiscences, from 20th Century symphonic music to modern jazz elements. And above all, the tango is always present, especially as represented in the works of the great tango composer Astor Piazzolla. Jennifer Jolley (1981 - ), March! March! (2021) was commission by the American Bandmasters Association. The work is a combination of composer’s devotion to a type of musical composition and her uncertain feelings towards its historical past and present. To reconcile these ambivalences, Jolley has turned to Dmitri Shostakovich’s March of the Soviet Militia (1970) as a guide. Like Shostakovich’s work, March! is a dark parody. Jolley employs crisp, uncomplicated anthems and quotations of North Korean patriotic melodies broken apart by irreverent percussion, sputtering tempos and audio taken from the Korean demilitarized zone. The intention here is to blunt the march’s aural seductions while retaining its bravado.

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