NEWS from
THE BIJOU ORCHESTRA
Leo Najar, artistic director
917 Washington Ave., Bay City Michigan, 48708
(989) 225-3423
www.bijouorchestra.org
November 12, 2004 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Second Annual Holiday Pops
Classical, Pop, Gospel and Klezmer Mix Provides Something for Everybody
Holiday music to suit every taste is on the program for the Second Annual Holiday Pops presented by The Bijou Orchestra. The performance will be held on Tuesday, December 7 and Wednesday, December 8 at the beautiful Scottish Rite Masonic Auditorium at 7:30 PM in Bay City. The show is sponsored by Bay Regional Medical Center.
"We hope there is something for everybody in this year’s Holiday Pops," says Leo Najar, artistic director for the orchestra. "America’s many December holiday traditions offer a rich mix musical mix for exploration. Our program includes classical selections from Bach and Tchaikovsky to modern favorites by Mannheim Steamroller, and plenty from in-between."
Several musical guests will join The Bijou Orchestra for the concert. Daniel Gale, baritone, is well known to Michigan audiences for his performances in opera, oratorio and in recital. Gale will perform two songs: The Lord Worketh Wonders by Handel, and the traditional Chanukah song Ma-oz Tzur (Rock of Ages). Vocalist Rob Clark is an accomplished performer and director who has appeared in a number of roles for Midland Musical Society, The Bijou Orchestra and other groups. Noted traditional fiddle musician Andy Rogers returns to share Klezmer favorites that reveal yet another facet of The Bijou repertoire.
Choral music is an important part of the holiday tradition. One of Michigan’s very finest high school choir programs will present two outstanding ensembles. Bay City Central High School’s Varsity Choir and Resounding Harmony are under the direction of Amy Hughes. They will sing both traditional and modern selections with the orchestra.
Amy Hughes will also join Rob Clark for the singing of the original version of Silent Night. Although this is probably the world’s best-known carol, few people have heard the song as it was written. The song was first published by a traveller who heard it sung in the small church in Oberndorf, Austria where it premiered on Christmas Eve, 1814. His version was quite different from the song as written by Franz Gruber to a text by Josef Mohr. In 1836 and again in 1845, Gruber, now working in Hallein, created orchestrated versions of the song that preserved his intentions. Through the efforts of the International Silent Night Society, the orchestrations were published, and The Bijou Orchestra will perform the earlier of these two authentic scores.
The performances will take place in the beautiful neo-Gothic Scottish Rite Masonic Auditorium in downtown Bay City. Although it was built in 1928 the theater remains one of the best-kept architectural secrets in the community, and for many, this will be the first opportunity to see this lovely auditorium. The comfortable amphitheater seating allows excellent sightlines from all of its 750 seats.
For Bay City ticket information, call 989.225.3423. Tickets are available at the orchestra’s website: www.BijouOrchestra.org. They may also be purchased at the Bay Arts Council in Bay City, and Herter Music in Bay City and Saginaw.
The Bijou Orchestra takes its name from the Bijou Theater, one of the earliest Bay City theaters, which later became known as the Bay and eventually the State. The ensemble is composed of thirteen outstanding musicians drawn from Michigan and beyond to perform in this challenging medium in which every player is a soloist. The orchestra is supported in part by grants from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Russell H. & Maxine E. Smith Foundation, the Oscar P. & Louise H. Osthelder Advisory Fund, and the Kantzler Foundation of Bay City.
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NEWS from
THE BIJOU ORCHESTRA
Leo Najar, artistic director
917 Washington Ave., Bay City Michigan, 48708
(989) 225-3423
www.bijouorchestra.org
for info, contact: Regina Turner: (989) 225-3423
October 6, 2004 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A halloween concert for the entire family
Magician, Costume Contest and Spooky Music
Halloween music old and new, a magician, and a costume contest are all a part of Halloween SPOOKtacular, a family concert presented by The Bijou Orchestra. The performances will be held at 1PM and 3PM on Sunday, October 31 at the historic State Theatre in downtown Bay City. The shows are sponsored by Dow Corning and OmniSource Bay City.
"Halloween has inspired composers to create some of our most colorful music," explains Leo Najar, Artistic Director. "Camille Saint Säens wrote Danse Macabre, probably the single most famous classical Halloween piece, and we will play that along with In the Hall of The Mountain King by Grieg, The Funeral March of a Marionette by Gounod, and one of the most difficult and exciting pieces in our repertoire, The Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner. It isn’t all classical music, though. We will also play Monster Mash, The Addams Family Theme, and a twist on an old favorite called The Twelve Days of Halloween."
Virgil McDonagh, the Mystery Man, has been practicing magic since the age of 10. Since that time, he has accumulated over a half-century of experience performing before audiences of all kinds throughout the Midwest.
Rob Clark will serve as "Monster of Ceremonies." He is a well-known member of the musical theater community in the tri-city area. A graduate of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, he has performed in several shows, and last season made his directing debut with How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying for the Midland Music Society.
For many people, dressing up in a costume is the best part of the holiday. The orchestra and its guests will all be disguised, and to encourage the audience to do the same, there will be a costume contest with first, second and third prizes in three categories: under 13, 13-21, and over 21.
For Bay City ticket information, call 989.225.3423. Tickets are available at the orchestra’s website: www.BijouOrchestra.org. They may also be purchased at Camille’s Costumes, Cherubs and the State Theatre in Bay City, Adomaitis Antiques and Theatricals in Saginaw, and Paper Moon in Midland.
The Bijou Orchestra takes its name from the Bijou Theater, one of the earliest Bay City theaters. The ensemble is composed of thirteen outstanding musicians drawn from Michigan and beyond to perform in this challenging medium in which every player is a soloist. The orchestra is supported in part by grants from the Russell H. & Maxine E. Smith Foundation, the Oscar P. & Louise H. Osthelder Advisory Fund, and the Kantzler Foundation of Bay City.
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NEWS from
THE BIJOU ORCHESTRA
Leo Najar, artistic director
917 Washington Ave., Bay City Michigan, 48708
(989) 225-3423
www.bijouorchestra.org
August 20, 2004 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BUSTER KEATON SIlENT TO Headline SEASON OPENER
Steamboat Bill, Jr. Plus Vaudeville Show to Play Bay City, Jackson
The last film produced by Buster Keaton headlines opening night for The Bijou Orchestra in a program that also features the vaudeville duo of Lutenske and Lutenske. The performance will be held on Saturday, September 18 at the historic Central High School Auditorium at 8PM in Bay City. The show is sponsored by Independent Bank.
“Film-goers the world over are rediscovering silent film magic,” says Leo Najar, artistic director for the orchestra. “Unlike the modern film which bombards audiences with technological wizardry created by immense production companies, the silent film draws upon traditional theatrical values which the director and editor then shaped with the camera. The addition of live musical accompaniment makes seeing the film even more personal for an audience. Most films did not have original scores composed for them. Each theater had its own music director who created a unique score for that theater. Smaller theaters often had only a piano or organ and an orchestra the size of The Bijou was typical only in large American cities. Our score will be compiled from a variety of sources, and will include passages where performers are free to improvise in accompaniment to the screen.”
The story line of Steamboat Bill, Jr. echoes Romeo and Juliet: star-crossed lovers and warring families. Keaton, reared in Boston since childhood by his mother, has graduated from Harvard has gone to Mississippi to work on the Stonewall Jackson, his father’s decrepit steamboat. His discovery that he doesn’t fit in very well is softened by the chance meeting of a lovely schoolmate whose father, it turns out, owns most of the town. The climactic cyclone sequence at the end of the film was the longest and most spectacular ever attempted up to that time. Keaton did all of his stunts without a double and one of these is particularly famous. A two-ton house façade falls directly over Keaton, who is saved by standing in the one spot left uncovered by an open window. A margin of two inches spelt the difference between life and death for Buster while doing the gag. The actor later recalled that “The whole gang fought me on that one, ‘You can't do it.’ Bruckman threatened to quit. My director, Chuck Reisner, stayed in his tent reading Science and Health. First time I ever saw cameramen looking the other way. But Gabourie (his stunt coordinator) and I figured out all the details. We knew it would work.”
With the advent of film, many vaudeville houses begin to add movies to their programs, and even after the arrival of the talkies some (notably Radio City Music Hall in New York) continued to show both. “Mindful of that tradition, we decided to include a short vaudeville program prior to the film,” said Najar. “Paul Lutenske and Ann Russell Lutenske are two of the finest actors in the tri-county area. Both have extensive professional and community theatre credits in the area and beyond. Appearing as “Lutenske and Lutenske, they will perform songs and skit humor typical of the era.”
This program will also be presented on Friday, September 17 in Jackson, Michigan at 8PM in the Michigan Theatre. The performance is presented as a joint fund-raiser by The Jackson Symphony Orchestra and The Michigan Theatre. Jackson ticket information can be obtained by the Jackson Symphony Orchestra at 517.782.3221 or at the door.
For Bay City ticket information, call 989.225.3423. Tickets are available at the orchestra’s website: www.bijouorchestra.org. They may also be purchased at A&J Galleries and the Bay Arts Council in Bay City, Herter Music in Bay City and Saginaw, and Northwood Gallery in Midland.
The Bijou Orchestra takes its name from the Bijou Theater, one of the earliest Bay City theaters, which later became known as the Bay and eventually the State. The ensemble is composed of thirteen outstanding musicians drawn from Michigan and beyond to perform in this challenging medium in which every player is a soloist. The orchestra is supported in part by grants from the Russell H. & Maxine E. Smith Foundation, the Oscar P. & Louise H. Osthelder Advisory Fund, and the Kantzler Foundation of Bay City.