Winds to Gather in Kenan Auditorium
2/8/2005 10:45:28 AM
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Feb. 8, 2005
Wilmington, N.C. – The University of North Carolina Wilmington Wind Symphony and Chamber Winds are scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21 in Kenan Auditorium.
Christofer Ackerman will conduct the UNCW Wind ensembles for an evening of treasures fit to delight any who attend. The Wind Symphony will perform some classical favorites and two modern pieces. One such piece, Percy Grainger’s “Irish Tune From Country Derry,” will likely delight the spirit of Saint Patrick, himself. Saxophone soloist Frank Bongiorno will join the Chamber Winds when they play “Tableaux de Provence” by Paule Maurice.
The Wind Symphony is UNCW’s premiere symphonic band and its members consist of music majors in the Department of Music and students university-wide while also involving outstanding high school musicians, local music teachers, people in the music business and music industry and other community members. The Wind Symphony is a place where the university connects with the community striving to create the highest level of musical communication possible. Chamber Winds is a subset of the Wind Symphony that primarily consists of music majors in the Department of Music and performs works emphasizing strong musician independency and soloist practices.
Christofer Ackerman has performed with many ensembles, such as the Chicago Community Orchestra and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, including an all John Williams concert under the baton of John Williams. Ackerman has maintained a richly diverse musical life that has included solo performances, CD recordings, studio work, lead parts in off-Broadway shows, tours through Norway and Germany and numerous other venues throughout the United States, Central America and Europe. Currently, he is the principal trumpet of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra and Long Bay Symphony Orchestra, as well as playing lead in the Cape Fear Jazz Orchestra. He also teaches as a full-time tenure track professor of music at UNCW, where, among other things, he is professor of trumpet and conductor of the Wind Symphony.
During Frank Bongiorno’s tenure at UNCW, his saxophone as well as jazz students have received national and international recognition by such organizations as Down Beat magazine and Jazzfest USA. He is an active recitalist, orchestral soloist, jazz artist, and clinician throughout the United States and abroad, and has performed solos with various professional and college ensembles throughout the world, and also with his jazz group. In addition to his performances as a soloist, Bongiorno has performed as a supporting musician for headliners such as Kenny Rogers, Aretha Franklin, Red Skelton, Johnny Mathis and Frankie Vallie, among others. His publications include two solo recordings, which can be found at www.lisciorecordings.com. He has also produced three instructional CD’s, numerous recordings as a side-man, saxophone transcriptions of “Classical” music, original compositions for jazz combo, paper presentations at national conferences, and over 50 articles and reviews in various trade magazines. Bongiorno was recently listed in the International Who’s Who in Music, Seventeenth Edition.
Kenan Auditorium is located on the UNCW campus. General admission is $5 and free to UNCW affiliates with a valid I.D. Tickets are available through the Kenan Auditorium box office (910/962-3500) and can be purchased one hour prior to the show. For additional information about this or any other event sponsored by the UNCW Department of Music, call the music events hotline (910/962-7416) or visit the Web site www.uncw.edu/music.
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