According to Band Director Greg Hillis, the Great Geauga County Fair Band will be “tuning up the heat” at this year’s Fair by adding several “firsts” to their repertoire, which combines traditional Sousa marches, nostalgic tunes, light classics and dynamic contemporary music.
The band will be performing twice daily from September 3 through September 7 at the Great Geauga County Fair in Burton, Ohio. A complete schedule can be found by visiting the Great Geauga County Fair website.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the band will be introducing the “Suite Francaise” by Darius Milhaud, a challenging work that combines fresh interpretations of French folk songs with contemporary harmonies to express the composer’s gratitude to America for liberating France. Since 2015 also marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, the band will also be performing “The Blue and the Gray” by Clare Grundman, which interweaves the familiar melodies of several Civil War tunes to poignantly express the emotions of a divided nation.
For youngsters, there will be two medleys from the popular Disney films, Frozen and Aladdin; for fans of the Big Band Era, featured tunes will include “A String of Pearls,” which was made popular by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine,” and Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”
Each concert will feature one of two vocal soloists, Vanessa Pintabona or Lindsey Sandham Leonard, both of whom can frequently be seen on musical theater stages across Northeastern Ohio. Vocalist selections will include “Every Time We Say Goodbye” by Cole Porter, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Rogers and Hammerstein, and Rogers and Hart’s “Blue Moon.” Another highlight of this year’s concerts at the Great Geauga County Fair will be two instrumentalist solos: a bassoon solo by Kathy Stockmaster and a flute solo by Erika Lance. Traditional marches remain a significant part of every performance, most notably this year will be John Philip Sousa’s “The Thunderer” and “The New York Hippodrome.”
The Junior Fair Band will be performing only on Saturday (September 5) and Labor Day (September 7). Their repertoire will include music from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, as well as Jan Berenska’s “Taps in Tempo,” which will feature a xylophone solo performed by Sydney Gembka.
The Great Geauga County Fair Band’s history is closely linked to that of the Great Geauga County Fair, from which it takes its name, making these Labor Day weekend concerts the highlight of every season. Made up of musicians of all ages from seven Northeast Ohio counties, the band has been performing at the Great Geauga County Fair every year since its founding in 1938. Schedules and more information concerning the Great Geauga County Fair Band and the Junior Fair Band can be found online.
This article is brought to you by The Great Geauga County Fair
