Sunday, December 4, 2011: A Celebration of Music from Eastern Europe
Performing Arts Theater, El Cerrito High School
Jessica Bejarano, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor
poster to print ; poster to email

Program

• Fanfare and Allegro, Clifton Williams
• Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1, Georges Enesco
• Hungarian Dances, No. 5 & 6, Johannes Brahms; arr. S. J. Price
  
  
• Slavonic Dances, Antonin Dvorak; arr. James Curnow; Sue Crum, conductor
• Marche Slave, Peter Tchaikovsky; arr. L. P. Laurendeau

Sunday, May 22, 2011
Performing Arts Theater, El Cerrito High School
Jessica Bejarano, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor
map and directions to ECHS Performing Arts Theater

Program

• Spirit of Freedom, Tracey R. Rush
• Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, Eliot Del Borgo
• El Capitan, John Philip Sousa
• Three Shanties, Malcolm Arnold; performed by the WCW Woodwind Ensemble (Stephen Deutsch, flute; Anthony Perry, oboe; Ron Hermenau, bassoon; Danielle Napoleon, clarinet; Jon Oldfather, horn)
• El Relicario, José Padilla
• Capriccio Espagnol, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; arr. Calvin Custer
• Selections from Bizet's Carmen, Georges Bizet; arr. V. F. Safranek
• Amparito Roca, Jaime Texidor

Sunday, March 13, 2011, 7 p.m.
Knox Center for the Performing Arts, Contra Costa College
presented by:
Contra Costa College, Wayne Organ, Chair, Music Department
for El Cerrito High School Symphonic Band:
Keith Johnson, Conductor
for Contra Costa and Laney College Guitar Ensemble
Ron Galen, Conductor
for the West County Winds:
Jessica Bejarano, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor
map and directions to Knox Center

Program of the West County Winds

• Noisy Wheels of Joy, Eric Whitacre
• Mars from The Planets, Gustav Holst
• Beguine for Band, Glen Osser
• First Suite in E♭ for Military Band, Gustav Holst; edited by Colin Matthews

Sunday, December 12, 2010
Performing Arts Theater, El Cerrito High School
Jessica Bejarano, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor
announcement

Hear the work of our new music director, Jessica Bejarano, at our first concert together. For the first half of the concert, Jessica has chosen both transcriptions of orchestral works and original works for band.

Following a short intermission, the band will present Rolf Rudin's The Dream of Angus [Der Traum des Oenghus], a two-part tone poem based on a story about the legendary Irish hero Angus. While the piece is similar in concept to Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Angus is no puckish vagrant outsider but an ancient Celtic demi-god prince. His boisterous, intemperate nature comes up against deep longing for a woman he sees in his dreams, taking him on a journey into mystery and magic.

Join us in the lobby after the concert for a reception and meet Jessica!

As always, both concert and reception are free to all.

Program

• Bacchanal from Samson and Delilah, Camille Saint-Saëns, transc. Kenneth Singleton
• Hungarian March "Rakoczy" from Damnation of Faust, Hector Berlioz, arr. Leonard B. Smith; Sue Crum, conductor
• Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon, Percy Grainger
• Belle of the Ball, Leroy Anderson
• The Dream of Angus: Poem on a Legend from the 'Green Isle', Op. 37 (Parts I & II), Rolf Rudin

Sunday, May 23, 2010: Silver Anniversary
Performing Arts Theater, El Cerrito High School
Sue Crum, Conductor
Terry Clark, Guest Conductor
announcement

Join us for an afternoon concert and reception celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the West County Winds. We will have special guests, including former conductors and band members. Founding director Terry Clark will conduct the band in a special number.

Program

• Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2, Giovanni Gabrieli; performed by the brass of the West County Winds
• Festive Overture, Dmitri Shostakovich; arr. Donald Hunsberger
• Jazz Suite No. 2, Dmitri Shostakovich; arr. Johan de Meij: March; Lyric Waltz; Dance 1; Dance 2; Waltz 2; Finale
• Variations on a Korean Folk Song, John Barnes Chance; Terry Clark, conductor
• Galop, Dmitri Shostakovich; arr. Donald Hunsberger

Monday, March 15, 2010: Music from the Silver Screen
Performing Arts Theater, El Cerrito High School
Sue Crum, Conductor; Rice Majors, Guest Conductor
poster

Tonight we feature the music of Hollywood fantasy and whimsy, from The Wizard of Oz through the 21st Century, with accents on Walt Disney and John Williams. You will recognize some old friends and may make some new ones.

The first two pieces, also music associated with movies, are presented by The East Bay Brass Project, a quintet of players drawn from the band.

• The East Bay Brass Project
• • Colonel Bogey March, Kenneth Alford (F. J. Ricketts); arr. Arthur Frackenpohl
  • The Pink Panther, Henry Mancini; arr. Arthur Frackenpohl
• West County Winds
• • The Wizard of Oz, Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, arr. James Barnes
  • Harry Potter Symphonic Suite from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, John Williams, arr. Robert W. Smith
  • Selections from Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, arr. Irwin Kostal, edited by Alfred Reed; Rice Majors, conductor
  • Catch Me If You Can, John Williams, arr. Jay Bocook; Patrick Schlesinger, saxophone
  • Music from THE INCREDIBLES, Michael Giacchino, arr. Jay Bocook
  • When You Wish Upon a Star, Ned Washington and Leigh Harline, arr. Sammy Nestico

Monday, December 7, 2009: American Portraits
Knox Center for the Performing Arts, Contra Costa College
Rice Majors, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor
poster

A concert of pieces by American composers, most written specifically for band.

• Rocky Point Holiday, Ron Nelson
• Amazing Grace, Frank Ticheli
• Candide Suite, Leonard Bernstein, arr. Clare Grundman
• An American Elegy, Frank Ticheli; Sue Crum, conductor
• Russian Christmas Music, Alfred Reed

Thursday, May 14, 2009: An Evening of Russian Composers
Knox Center for the Performing Arts, Contra Costa College
Rice Majors, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor
poster

As a sequel to our May 2007 concert featuring Pictures at an Exhibition, we're pleased to present another concert focusing on Russian composers. The evening begins with a set of performances by chamber groups. The band then takes the stage to present works by Glinka, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov. Our own David Hemphill appears as the soloist in Rimsky-Korsakov's trombone concerto.

• Trio, Josef Haydn, arr. Ray Monson
• The Goodie Polka, Ray Monson
• L'Arlesienne, Suite No. 1, Georges Bizet, arr. Joachim Linckelmann
• Tico Tico, Zeqhina de Abreu, arr. D. Varela
• Funeral March of a Marionette, Charles-Francois Gounod, arr. Terry Kenny
• My Spirit, Be Joyful, J. S. Bach, transc. Harry Herforth
  
  
• Russlan and Ludmilla Overture, Mikhail Glinka, arr. Franz Henning; Sue Crum, conductor excerpt
• Concerto for Trombone and Military Band, Piotr Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Walter Nallin and Davis Shuman; David Hemphill, trombone excerpt
• Night on Bald Mountain, Modest Mussorgsky, arr. William A. Schaefer excerpt

Monday, March 16, 2009: Myths and Stories with Johan de Meij
Knox Center for the Performing Arts, Contra Costa College
Rice Majors, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor

Dutch composer Johan de Meij's first symphony is an evocative work for wind ensemble based on the timeless fantasy books by J.R.R. Tolkien.  This is paired with a montage of John Williams' brilliant scores for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back.

• Symphony no. 1, "Lord of the Rings", Johan de Meij
  1. Gandalf (The Wizard) excerpt
  2. Lothlórien (The Elvenwood) excerpt
  3. Gollum (Sméagol) excerpt
  4. Journey in the Dark excerpt
  5. Hobbits excerpt
• Star Wars Saga, John Williams, arr. by Johan de Meij excerpt

Thursday, December 11, 2008: Winter "Shuffle" Concert
Knox Center for the Performing Arts, Contra Costa College
Rice Majors, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor

The West County Winds is pleased to present the West Coast premiere of Acclamations by composer Jeffrey Nytch. Originally written for the Binghamton Philharmonic as a part of a series of commissioned fanfares by composers with local connections, it was rescored a few years later for Jerry Junkin and the University of Texas Wind Ensemble in an eclectic instrumentation. Tonight it will be performed by the West County Winds in a new transcription by conductor Rice Majors for a traditional wind ensemble.

• Acclamations, Jeffrey Nytch, arr. Rice Majors
• Academic Festival Overture, Johannes Brahms, arr. V. F. Safranek
• Night Soliloquy, Kent Kennan; Rosanna Stephens, flute
• Prelude, Siciliano, and Rondo, Malcom Arnold; Sue Crum, conductor
• Commando March, Samuel Barber
• William Byrd Suite: Selected from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, freely transcribed by Gordon Jacobs

Sunday, June 22, 2008: Golden Gate Park 2nd Annual Band Festival
Temple of Music Band Shell, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Rice Majors, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor

"They initiated their program with Henry Fillmore's arrangement of Franz von Suppe's Poet and Peasant Overture, which they delivered in a crisp, articulate and expressive manner, followed by the sweet, soulful sounds of Sussex Mummers' Carol by Percy Grainger....Today's program demonstrated not only a well-balanced repertoire, but also a well-balanced presentation, aesthetically, musically, and fully entertaining" -- ACB Journal

• Poet and Peasant Overture, Franz von Suppé, arr. Henry Fillmore
• Sussex Mummers Carol, Percy Grainger
• Fanfare, Canto, and Fandango from Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Calvin Custer
• March of the Belgian Paratroopers, Pierre Leemans, arr. Charles Wiley
• All the Things You Are, Jerome Kern, arr. Eric Leidzen

Monday, May 19, 2008: Gustav Holst's The Planets
Knox Center for the Performing Arts, Contra Costa College
Rice Majors, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor

The Planets was written for large orchestra, with unusual numbers and varieties of wind and percussion instruments; it is a natural candidate for transcription for wind ensemble. Holst himself transcribed one or two movements. Various arrangers have subsequently "finished" the process, but no complete version has achieved broad acceptance. Tonight's performance features canonical transcriptions of three movements. The other four movements have been arranged especially for the West County Winds by our conductor, Rice Majors.

1. Mars, the Bringer of War excerpt
2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace, arr. Rice Majors excerpt
3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger, arr. Rice Majors excerpt
4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity excerpt
5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age, arr. Rice Majors excerpt
6. Uranus, the Magician, arr. James Curnow excerpt
7. Neptune, the Mystic, arr. Rice Majors excerpt

Thursday, December 13, 2007: WCW and ECHS Joint Concert
Knox Center for the Performing Arts, Contra Costa College
for the West County Winds:
Rice Majors, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor
for El Cerrito High School:
Roland Brown, Conductor; Don Howe, Assistant Conductor
program

The West County Winds were joined by El Cerrito High School's bands on the Knox Center stage. The ECHS Concert Band began the evening.

The West County Winds portion of the program featured Milt Latta's performance of a clarinet concerto by von Weber.

• Overture to The Yeoman of the Guard, Sir Arthur Sullivan, arr. Erwin
• Concertino for Clarinet with Band, Op. 26, Carl Maria von Weber, arr. Lake; Milt Latta, clarinet
• Sussex Mummers' Christmas Carol, Percy Grainger, arr. Clark; Sue Crum, conductor
• Shepherd's Dance from Amahl and the Night Visitors, Gian Carlo Menotti, arr. Vinson
• All the Things You Are, Jerome Kern, arr. Leidzen

The ECHS Symphonic Band then took the stage to play pieces by Giovanni Gabrieli, Alfred Reed, and Robert Russell Bennett. In a tribute to Marvin Williams, influential former director of bands at ECHS, they were joined in a performance of Clifton Williams' Dramatic Essay by Jonathan Knight, professional trumpeter and an ECHS band alumnus.

To conclude the evening, the three bands performed Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride together. The complete program is available.

Monday, May 7, 2007: From Russia with Love
Temple Beth Hillel, Richmond
Rice Majors, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor

• Pictures at an Exhibition, Modest Mussorgsky, arr. Erik Leidzen and Rice Majors
  1. Gnomus (The Gnome)
  2. il vecchio castello (The Old Castle)
  3. Tuileries (Dispute between Children at Play)
  4. Bydlo (Cattle)
  5. Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks
  6. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle
  7. The Market at Limoges (The Great News)
  8. The Catacombs; With the Dead in a Dead Language
  9. The Hut on Hen's Legs (Baba-Yaga)
  10. The Bogatyr Gates (in the Capital in Kiev)
• Allegro from Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat Major (BWV 1051), J. S. Bach
• Overture from Kismet, Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin, arr. Walter Beeler
• Hymn and March from Joan of Arc, Piotr Tchaikovsky, arr. Larry Daehn
• Folk Dances, Dmitri Shostakovich, arr. H. Robert Reynolds; Sue Crum, conductor
• Berceuse and Finale from The Firebird, Igor Stravinsky, arr. Richard Franko Goldman
• Fanfare, Canto, and Fandango from Capriccio Espagnol, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Calvin Custer

Monday, December 4, 2006
Temple Beth Hillel, Richmond
Rice Majors, Conductor; Sue Crum, Assistant Conductor

• Poet and Peasant Overture, Franz von Suppé
• American Overture, John Wilcox Jenkins excerpt
• March of the Belgian Parachutists, Pierre Leemans; Sue Crum, conductor
• Frescos, Haydn Wood
  1. Vienna
  2. Sea Shanties
  3. The Bandstand excerpt
• Irish Tune from County Derry, Percy Grainger; Sue Crum, conductor
• Sea Songs, Ralph Vaughan Williams excerpt
• First Suite in Eb Major, Gustav Holst excerpt

Monday, June 12, 2006
Temple Beth Hillel, Richmond
Rice Majors, Conductor; Heather Habig, Assistant Conductor

• Variations on a Shaker Melody, Aaron Copland
• Symphonic Prelude, Alfred Reed
• Belle of the Ball, Leroy Anderson
• Chorale & Alleluia, Howard Hanson
• Salvation Is Created, Pavel Tschesnokoff
• Norwegian March "Valdres", Johannes Hanssen; Heather Habig, conductor
• Concertino for Marimba and Winds, Alfred Reed; Richard Gibson, marimba

Monday, March 27, 2006
Temple Beth Hillel, Richmond
Rice Majors, Conductor

• A Festival Prelude, Alfred Reed
• Mannin Veen ("Dear Isle of Man") — A Tone Poem, Haydn Wood
• Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral (from "Lohengrin"), Richard Wagner; transc. Lucien Cailliet
• A Festive Overture, Alfred Reed

Monday, December 5, 2005
Temple Beth Hillel, Richmond
Rice Majors, Conductor

• American in Paris, George Gershwin
• Lonely Town, Leonard Bernstein
• Suite of Old American Dances, Robert Russell Bennett
  1. Cake Walk
  2. Wallflower Waltz
  3. Schottische
  4. Western One-Step
• Pavanne, Morton Gould
• Danzon, Leonard Bernstein
• Pineapple Poll, Arthur Sullivan