Press Release

Concord Band and Amanda Carr to Perform at Boston Band Festival

Concord, Mass., May 27, 2008 — The Concord Band will by joined by jazz vocalist Amanda Carr at the Boston Festival of Bands on June 7, 2008. Founded by the Metropolitan Wind Symphony, the festival features seven of the best community wind ensembles from the New England area. The Boston Festival of Bands, which is free, takes place at Faneuil Hall in Boston from 11 am to 6 pm. Music Director Dr. William G. McManus has selected an exciting and varied program for the Concord Band, which plays at 4 pm.

The Band's program will open with Welsh Variants, a 1988 commissioned work composed by James Curnow, which is a theme and variations based on the Welsh folk song "Suo Gan." Next, in the Band's long-standing tradition of featuring outstanding soloists from within the Band, Jean Munro will play Rhapsody for Flute, by Stephen Bulla, under the direction of Assistant Conductor Paul Berler.

Amanda Carr will be featured on the next two pieces, Cheek to Cheek and One Note Samba. Ms. Carr has been a guest vocalist with the Band on numerous occasions, and these two pieces were arranged by Jerry Seeco specifically for her to perform with the Band. The Band will also present a work by Roger Cichy, who has been selected to write the Band's next commission, which is to be premiered at the Band's Fiftieth Anniversary Concert in March 2009. Colours is Cichy's impressionistic six-movement suite in which each movement represents a different color.

The Concord Band, founded in 1959, is one of the leading community concert bands in the United States. It is well known for its innovative programming and the exceptional quality of its commissioned pieces. It presents both formal and Pops concerts throughout the year. Thousands attend its summer concerts at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts, each year.

For additional information, contact Peter Norton, Concord Band Publicity. Visit our website at www.concordband.org.

Boston Festival of Bands and the Metropolitan Wind Symphony: www.mws-boston.org/events/2008bandfestival

Amanda Carr: www.amandacarr.com