Wind Ensemble to Perform at Founder’s Day Concert

The eighth annual Founder’s Day Concert in the Park will be held on Sunday, September 19, in DeWitt Park. The concert, which will begin at 2:00 p.m., will feature festive dance music played by the Ithaca College Wind Ensemble. Sponsored by the Friends of Ithaca College, the free concert is designed to bring music back to the original Ithaca College downtown campus quad. The rain location will be Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.

The dance theme was conductor Stephen Peterson’s choice because of its vast repertoire and universal appeal. Among the featured pieces on the program will be "The Carousel Waltz" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, Sousa’s "Washington Post March," Shostakovich’s "Folk Dances," and Bennett’s "Suite of Old American Dances."

Harold Reynolds, associate professor of trombone and principal trombonist of the Cayuga Chamber Ensemble, will be featured as a solo artist on Arthur Pryor’s "Blue Bells of Scotland."

The 45-member Ithaca College Wind Ensemble, founded in 1981, is the premier wind band at the College, presenting some 15 concerts every school year. The group has worked with such renowned composers and conductors as Samuel Adler, John Corigliano, Karel Husa, Lukas Foss, and Dana Wilson.

The Founder’s Day Concert in the Park was first staged in 1992 to mark the centennial of the founding of the Ithaca Conservatory of Music. This concert — reminiscent of a time when there were regular conservatory concerts downtown — is being held to celebrate the College’s partnership with the local community.

Sunday’s event is made possible through the generous support of Baker Travel Inc. and the Boardman House.

For further information visit the Founcer's Day page or the School of Music Web site