Lufkin Community Band director David Smith has a knack for choosing performances he believes will connect with his audience. Sometimes it’s traditional music, while at other times there’s a little taste of the unexpected.
Expect nothing less at the ensemble’s upcoming holiday performance.
The Lufkin Community Band, along with the AC Chamber Winds, will present “A Winter Concert with a Taste of Christmas” at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6 at the Temple Theater located on the Angelina College campus.
An example of Smith’s penchant for putting a twist on the traditional will be “The Nutty Nutcracker” – or, as Smith explains in the program, what might happen if Tchaikovsky had been dealing with the usual holiday bustle.
“What if Tchaikovsky had gone to a really, really bad travel agent to organize his personal world-wide vacation tour…and he accidentally got the pages of the musicians’ parts all messed up…? The arranger of ‘The Nutty Nutcracker’ thinks this new version…is what Tchaikovsky might have written if he’d only thought of it in time…This ain’t Mozart. It’s barely Tchaikovsky. This twisted parody…is purely for fun and entertainment.”
“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, which pays tribute to the movie of the same name starring Henry Winkler, Brooke Burns and Warren Christie, reflects on the overwhelming nature of the holidays and the discovery of what’s really important. “Come to Zion”, based on a traditional Shaker tune rarely heard, is arranged for a modern concert band. Arranger Dr. Jorge Garcia has been involved in music education since 1969, teaching music from kindergarten to college in four nations. “A Jubilant Christmas” (arranged by John Henry Cacavas) is, according to Smith, “a pastiche of well-known pieces interspersed with variations and bridges creating a new kind of arrangement.” Cacavas is perhaps best known for having scored more than 400 one-hour TV shows, 50 television movies and 15 feature films. “A Jingle Bells Fantasy” hearkens to the original score – titled “One Horse Open Sleigh” – by composer James Pierpont. “A Christmas Festival” was originally written by iconic composer Leroy Anderson for the Boston Pops Orchestra. This work by Anderson, against which all other Christmas medleys are judged, includes “Joy To the World,” “Deck the Halls,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Good King Wenceslas,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Silent Night,”
“Jingle Bells,” and the powerful closing on “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The LCB will conclude its part of the program with “Santa Meets Sousa”, arranged by Mark Williams.
Director Jimmy Battle will lead the AC Chamber Winds.
Members of the Lufkin Community Band include the following:
Flutes – Cindy Broyles (Lufkin), Terri Burton (Lufkin), Lori Letney (Lufkin), Agnes Smith (Lufkin) and Evelyn Walker (Lufkin). Trumpets – Dennis Fleetwood (Nacogdoches), Andalyn Jones (Livingston), Amy Lambert (Lufkin), Aaron Perry (Nacogdoches), Eric Rodriguez (Nacogdoches) and Dwight Thrash (Lufkin). Oboe – Amanda Burns (Lufkin). Horns – Will Carroll (Nacogdoches), Dennis Fleetwood (Nacogdoches) and Will Williams (Nacogdoches). Clarinets – Stephanie Carcano (Hudson), Jeanet Iles (Livingston), Amanda Knowles (Huntington), Sonja A. Morgan (Lufkin), Darnell Schreiber (Coldspring), Rhonda Stephenson (Lufkin), Jo Tucker (Lufkin) and Debra White (Lufkin). Trombone – Jimmy Battle (Lufkin), Melvin Eckman (Lufkin), Bill Iles (Livingston) and John Thompson (Lufkin). Alto clarinet – Darnell Schreiber (Coldspring). Euphonium – Alex Oliveros (Lufkin). Bass clarinet – Kathy Huffman (Lufkin). Tuba – Joe Schmidt, Sr. (Livingston). Alto saxophone – Kristy Adams (Hudson) and Gene Schreiber (Coldspring). Cello – Natasha Carcano (Hudson). Tenor saxophone – David Parish (Huntington). String bass – Kyle Campbell (Hudson), Joseph Clark (Lufkin) and Carole Deptula (Nacogdoches). Baritone saxophone – Bethe Girardi (Lufkin). Percussion – Robert Hanks (Lufkin) and John Thompson (Lufkin).
Tickets for the performance are $4 for adults and $3 for seniors, students and children.
