LCCC Music Department to present three concerts to kick off music season

CHEYENNE, Wyoming – Laramie County Community College will kick off the music season for a new academic year with three concerts featuring faculty performers, German composers and the college’s jazz ensemble.

The Music Faculty Showcase is set for 3 p.m. Sept. 27. “A Concert of German Wind and String Music” (Ein Konzert Deutscher Blas- und Streichmusik) will follow at 3 p.m. Sept. 28. The fall series concludes with the LCCC Jazz Ensemble Concert at 7 p.m. Oct. 1. All concerts are in the Surbrugg/Prentice Auditorium and are free and open to the public.

The Music Faculty Showcase will bring together LCCC faculty and regional collaborators in a variety of performances highlighting strings, winds and more. Performers include Dr. Frank Cook, LCCC music instructor and director of bands, with pianist Joe McAllister from the University of Northern Colorado; Will Jones, retired U.S. Air Force Band euphonium soloist and LCCC tuba instructor; and the Winds of Wyoming woodwind quintet, composed of members of the LCCC Wind Ensemble. Cook said the showcase demonstrates both the professional caliber of the faculty and serves as a model for music students.

“This concert shows students the level of preparation and artistry expected in their own performances, while giving the community a chance to hear the remarkable talent of their instructors,” he said. “The variety of music, from intense classical to light American works, makes it an engaging and inspiring afternoon.”

“A Concert of German Wind and String Music” will feature the Chamber Orchestra and Wind Ensemble performing works by Strauss, Neuendorff, Leopold Mozart and Beethoven. Student Thomas Dixon will be featured on alphorn in Leopold Mozart’s “Sinfonia Pastorella.” The setlist also includes Strauss’s lively “Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka,” Neuendorff’s “Wandern ach Wandern” from his opera “Der Rattenfänger von Hamelin” and the allegro from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

“Oktoberfest always comes to mind when we think of fall, so we wanted to celebrate that spirit with music from German-speaking composers,” Cook said. “These are the composers who honed the craft of Western music, but the program also includes surprises, like the alphorn feature, that audiences will find exciting and different.”

The Jazz Ensemble Concert will bring the energy of swing, funk and ballad traditions to the auditorium. Vocal major Danielle Idle will join the band for “Autumn Leaves,” and the program will also feature “Cookie Cake,” a new work premiered earlier this year at Wyoming All-State Jazz, written by regional composer Jonathan Bumpus. Cook said the concert will mix familiar standards with new pieces, with plans for the LCCC Faculty Jazz Combo to join in.

“It’s an exciting time for our music programs, as we're doing lots of great community-centered, family, accessible concerts this fall and spring, and we have a really ambitious and talented group of freshmen,” Cook said. “The program's just growing, and it's really fun to showcase what we're doing here.”