40th Anniversary Concert

     Friday, March 31, 2023
8:00PM
West Side Presbyterian Church

Prelude Concert
7:30 PM

Livingston High School Band
Michael Jedwabnik, Director

Adult – $25.00
Senior (62+) – $20.00
Student – $5.00

The NJWS celebrates its 40th Anniversary with a special concert welcoming back guest soloists from the New York Philharmonic Joe Alessi (trombone) and Chris Martin (trumpet). The concert program will include Alfred Reed’s “La Fiesta Mexicana”.

Guest Soloists

Chris Martin

Chris Martin
Principal Trumpet, New York Philharmonic

Christopher Martin is one of the leading classical trumpet voices on the world stage. He joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Trumpet, The Paula Levin Chair, in September 2016. He served as principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) for 11 seasons, and enjoyed a distinctive career of more than 20 years in some of America’s finest orchestras, including as principal trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and associate principal trumpet of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He made his New York Philharmonic solo debut in October 2016, performing Ligeti’s The Mysteries of the Macabre, led by then Music Director Alan Gilbert. Read More

Joe Alessi

Joe Alessi
Principal Trombone, New York Philharmonic

Joseph Alessi was appointed Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic, The Gurnee F. and Marjorie L. Hart Chair, in the spring of 1985. He began musical studies in his native California with his father, Joseph Alessi, Sr., as a high school student in San Rafael, California, and was a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony before continuing his musical training at the Curtis Institute of Music. Before joining the Philharmonic, Mr. Alessi was second trombone of The Philadelphia Orchestra for four seasons, and principal trombone of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for one season. He has performed as guest principal trombonist with the London Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, led by Pierre Boulez. Read More

Christopher Martin grew up in a musical family – with a band director father and a vocalist mother. He often attended his father’s drum corps rehearsals and was inspired from an early age to play a brass instrument. Read More

Trombonist Joseph Alessi comes from a musical family – his mother was a soprano at The Met, his father played trumpet at The Met, and his grandfather, who came to the U.S. from Sicily, was the cornet soloist at the Rialto Theater. Mr. Alessi’s musical life began on the cornet at the age of five. He transitioned to trombone at eight when his father brought home a trombone. Read More

Sunburst Fanfare, James Stephenson: Composer James Stephenson wrote Sunburst Fanfare to help celebrate the NJWS’s 40th Anniversary Season. Of the work, the composer writes:
“The music is meant to be ebullient, full of life and energy, similar to a celebratory feeling like the NJWS is experiencing. The concert date of March 31st also brought to mind the beginning of spring and the coming warmth and (hopefully) a lot of sunshine; hence the title.”

Concerto in E-Flat, Joseph Haydn: Joseph Haydn composed his Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major in 1796 for the trumpet virtuoso Anton Weidinger, who had also just invented the keyed trumpet. This updated instrument could play chromatically throughout its entire range. Haydn’s concerto highlighted these new capabilities. Read More

Concertino for Trombone, Ferdinand David: Ferdinand David was a German virtuoso violinist and composer who was the concertmaster at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig under the baton of Felix Mendelssohn. Read More

Triptych for Trumpet, Trombone, and Wind Ensemble, Joseph Turrin: Joseph Turrin’s “Triptych for Trumpet, Trombone, and Wind Ensemble” was written in memory of Eric Rombach-Kendall, who was a musician, educator, and great champion of new music. An homage to the trumpet and trombone works Mr. Rombach-Kendall had commissioned Mr. Turrin over the years, ‘Triptych’ spotlights trumpet and trombone soloists. The piece contains three movements: Preamble (featuring the trumpet), Lament (featuring the trombone), and Dialogues (featuring both soloists).

La Fiesta Mexicana, H. Owen Reed: Composer H. Owen Reed spent six months studying folk music and composing in Mexico in 1948 while on a Guggenheim Fellowship. His work “La Fiesta Mexicana” was a direct result of this experience, portraying both secular and sacred music and reflecting Aztec, Roman Catholic, and mariachi culture. The work’s three movements are meant to depict a religious festival dedicated to the Virgin Mary featuring the tolling of church bells, a parade, a mass, a circus, a bullfight, and a mariachi performance.

Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor, Gaetano Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor is a tragic opera composed by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti in 1835. Set in Scotland, the opera tells the dramatic tale of Lucia, rival families, and thwarted love. The sextet falls near the end of the second act and is among the opera’s most famous melodies. The work went on to find its place in 20th century pop culture, being played by Sousa’s Band on a 1901 record, sung by Shirley Temple in her 1936 movie “Captain January”, and utilized by Looney Tunes in a 1941 short featuring Sylvester the Cat.

Rolling Thunder, Henry Fillmore: Composer Henry Fillmore’s father was a conservative man, considering the trombone to be sinful and off-limits to his son. His mother, however, snuck him a secondhand trombone. He went on to be a great composer of circus marches, often featuring exciting trombone lines. Rolling Thunder s no exception, subtitled “A Trombone Ace.”

Program

Sunburst Fanfare (premiere written for NJWS) – James Stephenson
Fort Sheridan March (concert band premier) – Joseph Turrin
Haydn Concerto for Trumpet – Franz Josef Haydn
Christopher Martin, Trumpet Soloist
Concertino for Trombone – Ferdinand David
Joseph Alessi, Trombone Soloist
La Fiesta Mexicana – H. Owen Reed
Tryptich for Trumpet and Trombone (consortium premiere) – Joseph Turrin
Chris Martin and Joseph Alessi, Soloists
Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor – Gaetano Donezetti
Rolling Thunder – Henry Fillmore

Program Subject To Change

All New Jersey Wind Symphony Subscription Concerts are held at the West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood, NJ.  West Side Presbyterian Church is fully ADA compliant providing handicap accessible entry to the concert venue as well as bathroom facilities. Important signage and directions are presented in braille..