The hit television show Dancing with The Stars has brought the joy of dancing to viewers across America—exciting choreography, great music, and outstanding showmanship have all been a big part of the show’s success.  Just like the show, our Spring Concerts, Ringing With the Stars, will offer outstanding performances with a star-studded line-up of great music!  And although we are not planning on any celebrity dancers or performance critiques, we would so enjoy having you attend as part of our concert audience.  Please plan to join us!

Ringing With the Stars is a program celebrating stars--not just the twinkling stars in the sky (although, we will be visiting those too), but also the stars of Classical and Popular music. 

Our Classical stars will include arrangements of music by such greats as Johann Pachelbel (Canon in D), George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (a transcription of his fanciful piano solo on the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star), Ludwig Van Beethoven (a setting of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee), and Gariel Faure (Berceuse).  All of these arrangements by stars of handbell composition today including Janet Linker, Jane McFadden, William Mathis, Arnold Sherman, Kevin McChesney, and Mary Kay Parrish.  Also included will be two original works by star handbell composers Sondra Tucker (Paean) and Cynthia Dobrinski (Festive Rondo). 

The second half of the program opens with a VERY unique original piece called Adromeda which recreates a travel experience to a distant galaxy.  The stars of Popular music follow with handbell arrangements of well known selections including The Best of John Williams (Olympic Fanfare, Star Wars Theme and more), the Disney favorite When You Wish Upon a Star, a medley from Phantom of the Opera, the Josh Groban inspirational favorite You Raise Me Up, and closing with the ever popular Stars & Stripes Forever by John Phillip Sousa.

We look forward to having you as our supporting stars in the audience...please join us for a fun-filled afternoon, you’ll be glad you did!

Please visit www.madisonhandbells.org for full details, including ticket information.

 

Spring Concert 2009

 

Baroque & Beyond!

Mark Bloedow, Associate Music Director

 

Our 2009 Spring concerts were presented at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, Monona, on Sunday,  May 3, and at Asbury United Methodist Church, Madison, on Saturday, May 9.  Our preferred travel for this musical excursion was water, specifically sailing--not only sailing through musical time, but sailing to various countries and experiencing various musical styles.

As we set sail, we enjoyed a festive send off with Arnold Sherman's original handbell composition entitled Festa--a joyful, musical celebration with organ and brass, too!  Our first destination was music of the Baroque period with Jean Joseph Mouret's Rondeau (the theme from television's Masterpiece Theater) and J. S. Bach's Little Fugue in G Minor (originally written for organ and transcribed for handbells by Michael Kastner). 

Next on our itinerary was the Classical period--with Serenade by Joseph Haydn and Beethoven's beloved Fur Elise.  From there we sailed on to the Romantic period with Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Brahms (one of music's three B's--the other two being Bach and Beethoven).  Our visit to the Twentieth Century musical period brought us back to America with George Gershwin's Prelude.  Reflecting on our Baroque & Beyond theme, and remembering our visit to the Baroque period, Part I came to a close with Handel's joyous Allegro Maestoso from Water Music!

After Intermission, our voyage took a few twists and turns with a variety of musical selections reflecting various water themes and musical styles from various countries.  Sail Away (Orinoco Flow) by Enya started things off as we left port.  Along the way we heard El Condor Pasa by Jorge Milchberg & Daniel Robles, and the Disney favorite Under the Sea from the Little Mermaid by Academy Award winning composer Alen Menken. 

As our time together on the pleasant trip neared its end, we were treated to a "blast from the past" with the fifties favorite Rock Around the Clock  by Max Freeman, Jimmy DeKnight, and arranged by John Edmondson.  We wrapped things up with a quick, festive visit to the Carribean featuring Jamaican Rumba by Arthur Benjamin and arranged by Philip Lang.  After completing our busy schedule of musical visits, we took some time to relax on the beach--with a Beach Boys favorite--Good Vibrations!

The concerts truly were a celebration of great music from the Baroque...and beyond!