GROSSMONT COMMUNITY CONCERT ASSOCIATION

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Orange Kellin: Clarinet, Trio leader Vernal Bagneris, song, dance

Orange Kellin's New Orleans Blues Serenaders
7:30 PM, Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Featuring Vernel Bagneris
(Clarinet, Piano & Percussion, Song and Dance)

...the music, but the New Orleans Blue Serenaders, blows the roof off... musicians, under the direction of Orange Kellin, infuse the show with enough power to transport the audience straight to the Land of Dreamy Dreams.
   --- The New Yorker

The New Orleans Blue Serenaders feature Vernal Bagneris and include clarinet, piano, and percussion instruments. The performance brings talent fresh from Broadway to the Community Concerts stage at the Richland High School Auditorium. These seasoned performers will thrill listeners with sounds of the Big-Easy while the originally scheduled Manhattan Rhythm Kings head for an off-Broadway opening with Tommy Tune.

Clarinetist Orange Kellin, the musical mind behind One Mo' Time, has played and recorded with such legends as Zutty Singleton, Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Ray Banduc and Max kaminsky. His One Mo' Time opened in New Orleans and ran for a six-year stint, and in New York for four, later touring London, Australia and throughout the U.S. Orange is featured on the Oscar-nominated soundtrack of the movie Pretty baby and the Grammy-nominated original cast album of One Mo' Time.

From the Broadway production One Mo’ Time, music arranger and clarinetist Orange Kellin brings a trio of hot New Orleans musicians – piano, clarinet and percussion – to play the elegant, thrilling and undeniably infectious Big Easy sounds. Joining Orange and his trio is the creator and director of One Mo’ Time, Vernel Bagneris, acting, singing and dancing the irresistible, dazzling, show-stopping numbers from that show plus many more.

Since his 1966 arrival in New Orleans , Orange Kellin has been overwhelming musicians and audiences with his original style. In addition to keeping a regular performing schedule in local dance halls, kitty halls, Bourbon Street clubs and parade bands plus international jazz festivals and concerts, he co-founded the much recorded and highly respected New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra in 1967. He has recorded with New Orleans jazz pioneers De De Pierce, Kid Thomas Valentine, Percy Humphrey and Jim Robinson. A highlight for Orange was accompanying Louis Armstrong at “Satchmo’s” 70th Birthday Concert at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1970. Since then, Orange has again gone international with his band “The New Orleans Joymakers,” played the Oscar-nominated soundtrack for Louis Malle’s “Pretty Baby,” and played a Royal Command performance of One Mo’ Time for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. Orange has also toured frequently as a guest soloist for the Preservation Hall Band.

Vernel Bagneris has acquired a number of awards during a career which includes work in Broadway, film, television and radio. He has received an Obie Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Lucille Lortel Award as author and performer, as well as a Drama Desk Award nomination. Vernel wrote, directed, and starred in the original off-Broadway production as well as the recent Broadway production of One Mo’ Time, its critically acclaimed sequel Further Mo’, the musical fable Staggerlee, and Jelly Roll!. In film, he has appeared in Jim Jarmusch’s Down By Law and had a starring role in Herbert Ross’ Pennies From Heaven with Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters. For PBS American Playhouse, he performed in A Marriage: Georgia O’Keefe and Alfred Steiglitz and will soon be seen in Mary Pat Kelly’s upcoming film Proudly We Served with Ossie Davis. On PRI (Public Radio International), Mr. Bagneris continues to serve as narrator and performer with the Riverwalk – Live from the Landing program, where he has brought to life the work and memories of over a dozen early jazz pioneers.

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Vega String Quartet Vega String Quartet

Vega String Quartet
7:30 PM, Tuesday, October 28, 2003

True to its name, the Vega String Quartet is one of the brightest stars among the new generation of chamber music ensembles. Their pristine style, silken sound and driving excitement have attracted international attention for over a decade. In 1991, they made an early entrance to the performance circuit, capturing the Young Artists Prize at the Fortieth International Munich Competition. Since then, the group’s performances have thrilled and delighted audience throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. After the Vega made its Lincoln Center debut in August 2001 the New York Times raved "playing that had a kind of clean intoxication to it, pulling the listener along…the musicians took real risks in their music making…" and the Los Angles Times praised their "Triumphant L.A. Debut” in May 2002. Other recent engagements include performances in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Paris, London and Berlin. They have appeared at numerous music festivals including Mostly Mozart, Aspen, La Jolla, Rockport, Highlands-Cashiers, Musicorda, Kingston among others. In June of 2002 they were the quartet-in-residence at the Van Cliburn Institute. As of fall 2002 they were invited to join the artist roster of Carnegie Hall’s New York City Neighborhood Concert series, and in 2003-04 they joined the Community Concerts Association touring ensembles. In addition, the quartet will be Visiting Artists-in-Residence at Emory University in Atlanta performing the complete Cycle of Beethoven Quartets.

The Vega Quartet captured four of the top six prizes at the 1999 Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition (including the international music critics’ prize), culminating an award-winning year (1998) in which they were awarded first prizes at the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, the Carmel Chamber Music Competition, and the National Society of Arts and Letters String Quartet Competition. Their live broadcast credits include NPR’s Performance Today (USA), the National Radio of China, Shanghai TV, Radio France, France Musiques, and the National Radio of the Czech Republic. The Vega String Quartet studied with the members of the Amadeus, American, Cleveland, Emerson, Guarneri, Juilliard, Orion, and Tokyo string quartets.

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Helix Brass

Helix Brass
7:30 PM, Tuesday, November 25, 2003

(11-piece Brass Ensemble)

This dynamic group is comprised of some of Southern California's finest brass players. Founded by Calvin Price, Principal Trumpet of the San Diego Symphony, these wonderful artists are members of, or have performed with the San Diego Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, RAI Symphony Orchestra of Turin (Italy), San Antonio Symphony, Mexico City Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Pasadena Pops, and theLong Beach Symphony

As a testament to their versatility and ability to reach even sider audiences, their marvelous individual sounds can be heard on the soundtracks for such movies as Ransom, Star Trek: First Contact, George of the Jungle, Charlie's Angels, Imposter, Men of Honor, and many more.

The group has been variously described as "Sonically Stunning," "Sure-fire audience pleasers," "Simply put... The Best," and as trumpet great Doc Severinsen succinctly puts it, "These guys are tops!"

Trumpets

• Calvin Price
• Barry Perkins
• Mark Bedell
• Chris Marsden

French Horns

• Keith Popejoy
• Mike McCoy^?

Trombones

• Richard Gordon
• Sean Reusch
• Mike Fellinger

Tuba

• Scott Sutherland

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Richard Smith Julie Adams

Richard Smith and Julie Adams
7:30 PM, Monday, January 5, 2004

(Guitar and Cello)

"This is guitar playing at it’s finest. Don’t miss this one."
   --- Doyle Dykes

There seems to be no limit to Richard’s ability to quickly master whatever guitar style captures his fancy. The complex styles of many guitar greats including Django Reinhardt, Les Paul, and Lenny Breau have proved to be no impediment to his voracious musical appetite. Apart from his guitar virtuosity, he is also an accomplished banjo and violin player. Richard has toured around the world, surprising audiences everywhere with his genius, showcasing a repertoire spanning an incredible range of musical styles from country, bluegrass, mainstream jazz, modern pop and rock, to classical guitar. Richard also plays several of John Phillip Souza’s marches and, incredibly, comes close to sounding like an entire marching band – drums and all.

In 1999, Richard married the lovely and very accomplished American cellist Julie Adams and settled in the Nashville, TN area. Richard and Julie play an occasional duo. Some will melt your heart; some will blow your socks off!

Cellist Julie Adams, graduate of Interlochen Music Academy and winner of the cello concerto competition at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, is hailed by The New Yorker for her, eloquent cello solos. She was awarded a fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival for three years in a row. She is a recording musician in Nashville and performs frequently with the Nashville String Machine. Her cello was made in England by Thomas Smith in the year 1760.

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Guy Rothfuss with wife, Julia Kemp. Standing: Bryan, Kristin and Katya.

The Rothfuss Family
7:30 PM, Tuesday, February 17, 2004

With Gary Boerckel, piano
(Vocals, Piano)

"The Miniature Marriage of Figaro" is a one-hour narrated version of Mozart’s masterpiece. opera is a comedy about love, in which two young servants succeed in frustrating the lecherous designs of their master.

The event is a true family affair, as the soloists for the concert’s Marriage of Figaro are all members of one family. Guy and Julia Rothfuss, under the stage names Guy Renard and Julia Kemp, have performed 150 major roles in a combined 2000 opera performances throughout Europe. Upon moving back to this country recently, both Julia and Guy became faculty members of Westminster Choir College in Princeton. Julia, particularly known for her Strauss and Mozart interpretations, once sang the prima donna roles of five different Mozart operas in seven days! Guy is internationally famous for difficult 20th century operatic repertoire, particularly the role of King Herod in Strauss’ Solome. In 1989 he was part of the very first presentation of Solome in Russia. In the past several years he has sung at Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, the Salzburg Festival and the Metropolitan Opera.

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Julian Lawrence Gargiulo

Julian Lawrence Gargiulo
7:30 PM, Tuesday, March 25, 2004

(Piano)

Julian Lawrence Gargiulo made his Carnegie Hall recital debut in 1997 and has performed throughout the United States and Europe. Born in Italy, he began his music studies at the Verona State Conservatory. After a year's internship at the Moscow State Conservatory, he moved to the United States, where he received master's degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University. Last year, he completed his doctor of musical arts degree at the University of Maryland.

He was awarded a Peabody Grant for his participation in the 1998 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. His recording of the complete solo piano works of Germaine Tailleferre was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant and is scheduled for release on the Centaur label. In addition to a busy schedule of solo engagements, he performs regularly with other instrumentalists and singers.

You may remember Julian performing with the Trumpeter Joe Burgstaller during the 2001/2002 season. If you came to that concert, you walked away with high regard for this pianist!