The Ithaca College Concert and Symphonic Bands and the men's chorus Ithacapella will give a musical salute to veterans on Tuesday, November 11. The Veteran's Day performance will take place at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the Whalen Center.
Henry Neubert, conductor of the symphonic band, and Mark Fonder, conductor of the concert band, will be joined by guest conductor Thomas Duffy, who will conduct two of his compositions. The conductors have selected a program of serious works that pay tribute to those who have served their country as well as to provide a time of reflection.
"Benjamin Franklin wrote, 'There never was a good war or a bad peace,' " Fonder says. "But wars have happened and continue to happen involving the men and women of our country. The purpose of the concert is to present a tribute to those who have served in our armed forces. Listeners who are expecting a one-dimensional, flag-waving, patriotic salute might be surprised to hear some music that examines war in a more reverent, less jingoistic sensibility. Music that rouses our patriotic fervor is only one way to honor our veterans. It is sincerely hoped that the music performed gives pause to considering war and its participants from all perspectives."
Duffy will conduct the symphonic band in playing his work And Flights of Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest. He will also lead the concert band in playing another of his compositions, Gnomon. In addition to being the name for the point of a sundial, gnomon is a prominent feature of the state memorial that honors the servicemen of Kentucky who died in the Vietnam War.
Also on the program are Percy Grainger's Marching Song of Democracy, David Gillingham's Heros, Lost and Fallen, and Robert Jager's Epilogue: Lest We Forget.
"[Epilogue] is not a work of celebration," Jager says. "It is, rather, music to commemorate the decent people who suffered through the agony of World War II and those who gave their lives for peace and freedom. It is not funeral music but rather a solemn hymn to the indomitable spirit of those who were touched by tyranny and who were able to rise above it -- both in life and in death. It is these people that we remember."
The concert and symphonic bands warmly invite all members of the public to this concert, with a special welcome to veterans.
Contributed by Erik Kibelsbeck
