We’ve added a new show description! Here is an excerpt…
President Abraham Lincoln enjoyed music. During his time in the White House, there were many special performances by brass bands in the city of Washington. President Lincoln’s Music is a concert by Saxton’s Cornet Band that re-creates the band music heard by President Lincoln between 1861 and 1865. (read more)
The official NABBA publication, The Brass Band Bridge, has reviewed our latest recording - 1861-1865: Music of the Civil War. You can download a PDF copy of the latest issue, which includes the review (starting on page 32 and continuing on page 33):
We have new information for the Lincoln Bicentennial celebration. You can visit the official site, or download the documents below (Word format):
Bicentennial Commission Plans Two-Day Celebration in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – President Bush has been invited to launch the nation’s two-year celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s Bicentennial, capping two days of festivities and tributes in Louisville and Hodgenville next February 11 and 12, the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission announced today.
“The eyes of the world will be focused on Kentucky next February as we kick off a series of events during 2008 and 2009 honoring our greatest president,” said LaRue County Judge Tommy Turner, a member of the national ALBC and chair of the Bicentennial Inaugural Committee.
“It is ‘fitting and proper’ that the celebrations begin here, as Lincoln himself was proud to be a Kentuckian. We hope to capture the American spirit and invigorate their thoughts about this great man’s living legacy,” Turner said.
The ALBC and its Kentucky partners announced the plans for the Bicentennial Inaugural at a news conference this morning in Louisville at the Farmington Historic Home. Turner was joined by Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson; Lindy Casebier, executive director of Arts and Heritage, Kentucky Commerce Cabinet; and Speed Stodghill, Farmington Historic Home Board Regent.
President Bush is slated to launch the Bicentennial formally with a keynote address at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville on February 12. The American Spiritual Ensemble and Saxton’s Cornet Band will provide music. Award-winning actor Sam Waterston, best known for his television role as assistant district attorney on Law and Order, will deliver a dramatic presentation of Lincoln’s words.
The ceremonies in Hodgenville are free and open to the public.
Celebrations begin the day before in Louisville. A champagne reception at the Kentucky Center for the Arts on the evening of February 11 will lead into a musical and dramatic tribute to the 16th president.
The Louisville Orchestra will perform with guest soloist soprano Angela Brown, including the premiere of a new Lincoln work composed by Peter Schickele. Brown will also perform Marian Anderson’s 1939 rendition of My Country ‘Tis of Thee. Artists from the Kentucky Opera will accompany Brown. Waterston and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer will cap the evening with a performance of “Lincoln Seen and Heard,” a dramatic presentation of Lincoln speeches and photographs.
Award-winning journalist and Louisville native Bob Edwards will host the celebration.
Tickets for the February 11th events at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts will go on sale November 2.
Pulitzer Prize and Lincoln Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin will headline a public symposium, Lincoln on Leadership, on the afternoon of February 11, at the Frazier International History Museum in downtown Louisville. Co-sponsored by the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center, the symposium will also include Richard Goodwin, an advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and to U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
“Louisville is honored to kick off the national Lincoln Bicentennial celebration,” Mayor Jerry Abramson said. “It will be an exciting time for our city — and for our nation.”
Best selling author Linda Bruckheimer and Hollywood blockbuster filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer are honorary co-chairs of the Bicentennial Inaugural Committee.
A calendar of the Bicentennial Inaugural events is available.
The third commercially produced CD will make its way to the general public this month as “1861-1865 Music of the Civil War” is released at a concert/ CD release party in Frankfort, KY. The album features some of the most popular and most recognizable tunes of the Civil War era as arranged for brass band. The album was recorded in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Frankfort, which was built in the 1850’s. The CD release party and concert will take place at the same venue on Sunday, August 26 at 7:00 p.m. and will feature the Sanctuary Choir from the church under the direction of Roy Nance.
The third commercial CD presented by Saxton’s Cornet Band, “1861-1865 Music of the Civil War”, is due to be released in the late summer months. The cd, recorded at First United Methodist Church in Frankfort, KY, features all of the “greatest hits” of the Civil War era as played on original instruments. The music is representative of each side of the War and also includes several popular and patriotic songs from this time period. All of the literature on the CD can be used for progams relative to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial which will take place in 2009.
A brief listing of songs includes: Hail to the Chief, Hail! Columbia, Darling Nelly Gray, Old Dog Tray, Star Spangled Banner, Dixie and the Bonnie Blue Flag, Red, White and Blue, Irish Medley, Kathleen Mavaurneen, Lorena Quickstep, Cheer, Boys, Cheer, Battle Cry of Freedom, Dixy Quickstep, Come, Where My Loves Lies Dreaming and several others.
If you are interested in pre-ordering this CD, you may do so by contacting David Goins at dwgoinstpt@fewpb.net. Pre-ordered CD’s will be available at a discounted price of $10 plus shipping and handling for a limited time. Retailers and historic sites may contact the band at the same email address for discounted orders.
Saxton’s Cornet Band presented its 17th performance at the Great American Brass Band Festival in Danville, KY on the campus of Centre College on June 8-10th. The festival is in it’s 18th year and SCB played its most challenging program and schedule at this year’s event. The band performed at the history conference on Friday and all-operatic sets featuring grand solos and operatic transcriptions on Saturday and Sunday. It was assumed that some of the music performed had not been presented in over 100 years. Eflat cornet soloist David Goins will be featured on public radio with his rendition of “Una Voce Poco Fa” from the opera The Barber of Seville on July 4 on 88.9 FM WEKU.
Sign up for the official Saxton’s Cornet Band newsletter, “The Saxhorn.” We’ve added a sign up box in the sidebar.
Saxton’s Cornet Band will be performing on Saturday, August 11th at the Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The band will perform three times that day:
For more information on the festival, please visit the Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival website.
At long last, we’ve finally updated our site! We hope you like the new look. We’ll be updating the site soon with upcoming performances, new information, pictures & more. Stay tuned!
