The New England Brass Band, based near Boston, Massachusetts, is pleased to announce its first concert of the season will be at Boston's Symphony Hall as part of the Boston Symphony's "Symphony Hall Open House" on Sunday, October 22 at 12:15 pm.  An exciting element of the concert will be an appearance by Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart who will conduct the NEBB in John Williams' "Liberty Fanfare."

 

"This is a tremendous way for the band to open our season," said Douglas Yeo, the NEBB's music director.  "We have had many recording sessions in Symphony Hall over the last eight years and this opportunity to perform another concert there - our fourth concert in this acoustically acclaimed Hall - with Keith Lockhart is more than exciting for our players."

 

The Symphony Hall Open House is a free, afternoon-long event which opens the doors of the Hall to the Boston-area community.  In addition to the performance by the NEBB (which starts the day of performances at 12:15 PM), groups of BSO players and local music students will give demonstrations and concerts in rooms throughout hall culminating with a performance of Robert Schumann's "Symphony No. 2" conducted by BSO music director James Levine at 3:00 PM. There will also be free tours of the Hall, special activities for children and public interviews of both Keith Lockhart James Levine.

 

The New England Brass Band's program, of mostly American music, will be mostly conducted by Douglas Yeo and will feature the band's principal cornetist and associate conductor, Terry Everson (professor of trumpet at Boston University), in Adrian Drover's arrangement of Gershwin's "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" from "Porgy and Bess."  This ties the NEBB's performance nicely into the  BSO's opening night concert on September 29 where diva Renee Fleming sang two arias from "Porgy and Bess" conducted by James Levine.

 

John Williams' "Liberty Fanfare" was composed for the Boston Pops and performed at the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. Long a staple of the Boston Pops Library (and recorded by the Pops on the CD, "By Request" conducted by Williams), it was a natural idea for Lockhart to be asked if he would like to conduct the NEBB in the piece.  Keith's willingness to conduct the NEBB moves us into that rare number of bands who have been led by some of the best known conductors in the world," said Douglas Yeo.  "For us to play "Liberty Fanfare"  in Symphony Hall where I played the first performance of the piece 20 years ago with the Pops and John Williams will be a memorable event for all of us."

 

The Symphony Hall Open House is free and open to the public.  Seats (there are 2200) are available for the NEBB's concert and performance by the Boston Symphony on a first come, first served basis.  For more information, visit the band's website at http://www.newenglandbrassband.org