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(11/10/13 3:39am)
These days, to go out dancing usually means going to a club and dancing to the latest pop hits. In earlier years, going out to a club meant something entirely different than twerking and grinding with a crowd of intoxicated young people. Older generations recall going out dancing to Big Band music doing the jitterbug, the Charleston or swing dancing. Nightclubs, musical genres and dance styles have changed significantly over the years, but the Macon Pops orchestra is bringing back the Big Band era right here in the 21st century in a whole new way.
Grammy Award-winning arranger Matt Catingub and multi-Grammy-nominated percussionist Steve Moretti joined forces to form the Macon Pops group. The talented pair shares a dream of replacing the stereotype orchestras have today with a new thrilling style of orchestral music. Macon Pops consists of 40 world-class musicians with the same goal of transforming the reputation of the orchestra. Instead of sitting quietly and listening to classical music, guests at a Pops concert are served food and drinks and are encouraged to dance as much as they desire.
The much anticipated Macon Pops kick off took place on Saturday evening, Oct. 26, at the Macon City Auditorium. Guests entered into a dreamland of lights, elegant and candlelit tables, and plenty of food and drinks. The show was called “Dancing Through the Decades,” which proved to be a perfect representation of the evening’s events. The show was not a concert to watch, but an event in which to participate. Audience participation was just as important as the musicians’ performances on stage.
Moretti and Catingub were included among these musicians. Moretti is not only the executive director and general manager of Macon Pops, but he is also the drummer for the group. In addition, Catingub is not only the artistic director and conductor of the group, but he also played saxophone and piano, and sang on stage with the rest of the performers
The Pops Orchestra led their guests through music of the 30’s to present-day hits. To assist the group with vocals, Catingub brought along the brilliant Anita Hall as a guest vocalist. Hall’s voice was ideal for such an event. From tender moments in “Unforgettable” to a raspier sound in “I Heard it through the Grapevine,” Hall knew how to entertain, and certainly had the voice for it. When asked about her experience singing here in Macon she said, “Well in terms of the people here, folks are as nice as they say they are in Georgia, they really are. They’ve got that Southern hospitality down! In addition to that, I really hope everybody had a great time and that they will ask for me personally to come back because I want some more of that southern hospitality!” The animation and dedication of Hall and the other musicians on stage transported the audience to a simpler time as they danced the night away. Mercer senior and Pop’s violinist Cara Schlecker said, “Macon Pops is an exceptional group to be a part of. The mixture of strings and big band, along with outstanding vocals and nostalgic tunes, make for a show that is reminiscent of an era that is long gone.” An entertaining piece of the evening which especially showed this merge of classical strings and big band music was Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven.” Schlecker continues to encourage guests to “bring a date and your dancing shoes.” At one point, an animated conga line began winding its way through the tables. During “Twist and Shout” most of the guests were up on their feet.
The variety of the program was fit for everyone from all ages and all walks of life. From Glenn Miller’s legendary “In the Mood” and Frank Sinatra’s “Night and Day” to Toto’s classic “Africa” and the Eagles’ “Hotel California,” the night was filled with diverse and familiar tunes that kept the guests on their toes.
Reservations are open for the next performance at the Macon City Auditorium on Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. For future shows, Macon Pops is adding new performers to the mix. Auditions were held for middle and high school singers to give young vocalists a chance to join the Macon Pops group for their December show. In March, Macon Pops will proudly welcome the renowned country artist, Jo Dee Messina to join them on stage.
Moretti has a clear passion for inspiring young aspiring musicians. When asked about this whole process he said, “This has been an incredible experience. It’s very surreal to be able to put all of this together in five months, but I’m really excited about changing the cultural landscape in Macon.” He also mentioned that Macon Pops will “hopefully peak the interest of younger folks . . . who want to explore other avenues of the arts. That’s the ultimate goal here.” Moretti also shared that he has played in other locations like this before, but he said, “To actually put it together and do it at home, that’s been the cool experience.” Catingub said, “The success of this concert is beyond our wildest dreams. I didn’t expect this positive of a reaction, or turn out to be honest, so I hope it’s just the start of many many years.”
For more information, visit the Macon Pops website at http://www.maconpops.com/.
(11/10/13 3:36am)
Director of Percussion Studies since 2006, Dr. Marcus Reddick, gave a solo recital on Friday, Oct. 25, in Mercer’s Fickling Hall. Reddick is not only a noted professor, but he is also an experienced performer.
As he walked on stage to a welcoming applause, Reddick explained the instrumental setup for his first piece, clearly demonstrating extensive knowledge of his craft. He then introduced the first piece, “Spider Walk,” joking that, with Halloween so close, he considered dressing up as a spider for the piece. Although he only has two arms, the speed at which he played sounded as though he was a spider with eight appendages. Despite the difficult repertoire, he maintained focus. Instead of getting lost in a whirlwind of rhythms, he flew through them flawlessly. When the piece came to an end, the audience gave a roaring applause.
The next piece Reddick performed was “Five Short Works for Marimba.” This piece requires the use of six different mallets simultaneously. The ability to manage six mallets at once takes years of practice and endurance. Despite the difficulty of this maneuver, Reddick performed with ease.
Reddick then performed “Bongo-0” by Roberto Sierra. During certain points in the music, Reddick used a chant-like vocal percussion. The piece also required extended technique by drumming down on the base of the drum stand. These entertaining surprises combined with Reddick’s incredible focus made for an eccentric and fun piece to listen to.
Reddick was then joined on stage by faculty musician Dr. Monty Cole. He accompanied Reddick on saxophone in a piece called “Strange Dreams.” This four-movement piece was accompanied by a short story written by Brian Andreas. The final movement, “Pools of Light,” clearly reflected its story counterpart: “My favorite time of day is just after dark when all the thoughts of what must be done stop and small pools of light come alive on tired faces everywhere.” Cole’s warm and soothing melodies and Reddick’s carefully constructed rhythms allowed the listeners to experience their own “small pools of light” as all the stress of the day melted away.
Following the duet was Ricardo A. Coelho de Souza’s piece “Caxixando.” During the middle of this work, Reddick allowed some audience participation. He would play a rhythm, and the audience had to echo it back to him. He started off simple, and as he increased the level of difficulty, it became extremely entertaining. Although not everyone could keep up with him, the audience responded with laughter when they realized the difficulty of his art.
Reddick was then joined by senior and Percussion Performance major, Andrew Bennett. Bennett has been a student of Reddick’s since high school, and will be graduating next May. Together, they performed a challenging piece called “Eight on 3 and Nine on 2” by Robert Marino. Playing completely in sync across from each other, it appeared as if there was a mirror between them due to their precise and coordinated movements. Their teamwork and talent as individuals was evident, and they did a fantastic job with such a fascinating piece of music.
To conclude the evening, Reddick walked back on to the stage with a somber air about him. His mood had shifted significantly. As he opened his mouth to speak about his last piece, he struggled to find the words. It was obvious there was something heavy on his heart. He explained that he had composed the piece for his grandparents when they passed away. He then shared that his parents recently passed away as well. He remembered aloud calling them after every performance, wishing he could still do that today. After taking a brief moment to compose himself, he explained that he would like to dedicate the final piece of music to his parents. Sometimes there are no words, but music has a way of expressing emotions when words fail. Before he began to play he managed to say, “Without them I wouldn’t be here.” When the music began, the hall filled with emotion as he conveyed his loss in every note he played. When he was finished, he blew a kiss up toward the sky. He walked off stage to a standing ovation and returned again when the crowd continued applause. Because of his ability to capture an audience, the applause continued for many minutes, concluding an evening of unforgettable sentiment.
(10/13/13 11:08pm)
On Oct. 1, in Mercer’s Fickling Hall, the Mercer University Orchestra held their first concert of the year. The house was packed full. Ushers had to bring in extra seating to accommodate because the evening was so highly anticipated by the Macon community. Music lovers of all ages came to have their hearts charmed by harmonious beauty, and charmed they were.
The Orchestra began by capturing their audience with an all-too-familiar melody. The work was the first movement of Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”. As the graceful tune swept through the hall, audience members entered into a nostalgic trance as they recalled this well-known motif. After a brief pause, the “night music” continued with the second, third and fourth movements of the piece. When the fourth and final “Rondo” movement was finished, the audience burst into applause.
Ward Stare, the conductor of the ensemble, took the moment between the first and second piece to address his audience and inform them about the previous and upcoming pieces of music. Stare’s animated conducting was perhaps one of the most entertaining parts of the night. From the tiniest flicks of his baton to his energized footwork, Stare kept himself, the orchestra and his audience on their toes.
Stare began his career at Juilliard as a trombone player. Since then, he has appeared in numerous symphonies and orchestras as a guest conductor, performed in both Europe and the U.S., conducted in Carnegie Hall, and received many great honors as a result of his excellent work.
Of course, Stare would be nothing without an orchestra to conduct. The McDuffie Center for Strings was founded by Robert McDuffie as a part of Mercer’s Townsend School of Music. The Center is directed by Amy Schwartz Moretti and produces numerous performances each year. With students from all over the world, the group is diverse and distinct, working together to produce beautiful sounds with every note they play. Students of the McDuffie Center have come from as far as Hawaii, Greece, Sweden, South Korea, China, Brazil and Canada to be a part of this esteemed ensemble. The talent in all of the Center’s students is unmistakable. Each student spends countless hours each day in the practice rooms crafting their skills. It is no wonder the performance Tuesday night was so incredible.
After “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” the Orchestra began to play Gade’s “Novellette No. 1 in F major,” Op. 53. Although this piece may not be as well-known as the first, the audience seemed to soak up every bit of it. After this work, the evening came to a close with a grand, five-movement piece by Edvard Greig. This final piece was entitled “Holberg Suite,” Op. 40. When Stare put his hands down to signal the end of the final movement, the audience responded with a roaring standing ovation. After a rather lengthy applause, the hall slowly emptied out and became silent, but the music continued within the hearts of those who attended such an enjoyable evening.
(08/28/13 9:00pm)
Were you a 90’s kid? Do you remember your favorite artists from back in the old days? Whether you listened to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, The Spice Girls, Ricky Martin, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, Aaron Carter, or ‘N Sync on your cassette player, we all had our favorites. Let’s be honest, when we hear a familiar song on the radio, we all reminisce from time to time on the days of our favorite boy bands. What we didn’t expect was to see a 90’s flashback on our televisions a decade later. On August 25, MTV’s 2013 Video Music Awards brought the 90’s back to us for a full two minutes. The popular 90’s boy band ‘N Sync reunited on a smoky VMA stage to a screaming audience for the first time since 2001. According to the group, there have been multiple requests to get the band back together. Justin Timberlake, who moved on to his successful solo career after the band split up, decided to have the rest of the group join him on stage at the VMA’s, since the band started there originally.
At the beginning of this much anticipated reunion, Justin Timberlake walked out onto the stage claiming, “You asked for it” to his expectant audience as four familiar silhouettes emerged up from the ground behind him. The performance was short and sweet with a medley of “Girlfriend” and “Bye, Bye, Bye,” though the crowd clearly wanted more. The enthusiasm from the crowd represented ten plus years of dormant infatuation and an excitement to experience their fantastic harmonies once again. The look on Taylor Swift’s face at the start of the performance said it all; like a schoolgirl in the 90’s crushing on her favorite boy band. Like her, many other girls of our generation were awestruck by this event, flashing back to that giddy feeling of childhood boy band obsessions. Whether we admit it or not, everyone enjoys looking back to a simpler time and remembering their childhood.
Although the 90’s are long gone and the boys are now men, they still have their synchronized moves down. As much as everyone loved this short performance, it seems doubtful that the band is actually getting back together. Though they looked great reunited on the stage, it is rumored that the reunion was intended to be just a one-time thing. Justin Timberlake is still busy with his solo career, but who is to say this couldn’t ever happen again? Perhaps the Backstreet Boys will follow suit and “Backstreet will be back alright” at some point in the future. We never know, but atleast for now we can be happy for even this small flashback into our childhood days.