River City Brass Band will play Bach to Beatles

The River City Brass Band, composed of 28 virtuoso brass players and percussionists, presents an informal, entertaining evening of music ranging from Big Band swing and jazz, music from Broadway and Hollywood, classical and contemporary, and traditional marches, under the baton of music director Denis Colwell at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17.
Often called the Boston Pops in Brass, the RCBB combines lighthearted fun with serious musicianship, performing bright and trilling renditions of a wide range of music, including Bach, Mussorgsky, Rossini and Sousa, the Beatles, Richard Rodgers and Henry Mancini, interspersed with witty commentary by Colwell.
Founded in 1981 in Pittsburgh, Pa., and built on the long-standing tradition of brass bands popularized in the U.S. and Great Britain, the River City Brass Band features 25 brass players and three percussionists, permitting it to present its sweeping repertoire. The band is praised for both its artistry and its accessibility: “The band impressed the crowd with the rich sound and high level of professionalism” (Cincinnati Enquirer).
In conjunction with the 8 p.m. performance, there will be a free pre-show talk by Denis Colwell, the conductor and artistic director of River City Brass Band, as well as associate professor of Music at Carnegie Mellon and music director of the Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble.
Tickets for the Sept. 17 performance are $30 (orchestra/front grand tier), $29 (back grand tier) and $24 (balcony). For tickets, call (610) 758-2787 (7LU-ARTS), visit Zoellner Ticket Services, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and two hours before curtain, or order tickets online. Student, senior, group and LVAIC discounts are available.
This performance is supported in part by Wachovia, the Zoellner Arts Center 2004-2005 presenting sponsor, and by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.