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| Nottingham High School Band To Perform Concert The Nottingham High School Band, comprising a talented group of 20 young wind instrumentalists and a barbershop group of 12 singers, will perform a concert of swing, big band, jazz standards and close harmony songs for students and members of the administration and faculty of Archbishop Stepinac High School at noon, Thursday, October 21. The all-boys British group will perform on the stage of Stepinac's Major Bowes Theater. A highlight of the concert will be a performance of the Concerto for Clarinet composed by jazz great Artie Shaw, whose 100th year anniversary is being celebrated this year. It will be performed by 16 year-old Jake Hinson on the composer's own clarinet which a parent of one of the students purchased at an auction recently in Great Britain. The concert marks the first time the musician's clarinet has been back in the U.S. for some 60 years. Shaw was born in 1910 in New York City and was a technically brilliant clarinetist and a leader of one of the most popular big bands of the swing era. He died in 2004. Paul Carty, Stepinac Principal, said: "We are excited that this acclaimed ensemble from the United Kingdom will be performing here. Nottingham High School has a well-deserved national reputation for both academic achievements and its high standards for music-making." He added: "Stepinac's talented musicians will return the favor and visit Nottingham High School to perform a concert at some future time next year as part of an exchange program." Music is central to the life of Nottingham High School which was founded in 1513. Its band was selected this year from thousands of other UK bands to be one of the featured performers at the Music for Youth Festival. Its notable musical alumni include internationally renowned conductors, Sir Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan and Andrew Massey as well as cellist Richard May and jazz saxophonist, Julian Siegel. Founded in 1948, Archbishop Stepinac High School's mission is to offer young men a highly competitive academic and extracurricular program that will prepare them for college and leadership roles. The faculty and staff accomplish these objectives by pursuing excellence and creating a supportive, disciplined atmosphere with a strong sense of camaraderie and Christian values that are unique to the Stepinac experience. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |