The Palm Court Light Orchestra celebrates one of music’s favourite brass instruments at its coming concert, The Trumpet Shall Sound, April 16 at the University of Victoria.
Opening at 7:30 at UVic’s Farquhar Auditorium, the featured instrument is the cornet, the trumpet’s close cousin and the mainstay of the British brass band. Until the second half of the last century it was still prominent in orchestral music, with Louis Armstrong and many other jazz greats beginning their careers on cornet. The instrument’s more mellow sound fits well with a small ensemble like Palm Court Light Orchestra.
Joining the orchestra is featured soloist David Michaux, playing music especially written for the cornet, including ballads, the theme from Hetty Wainthrop Investigates, The Holy City and two virtuoso pieces, Napoli and The Carnival of Venice. Michaux will also join the orchestra’s other two cornets in Leroy Anderson’s Buglers’ Holiday.
Born and raised in Victoria, Michaux has been second trumpet with the Victoria Symphony since 2001. Previously, he was principal trumpet with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and acting principal trumpet with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Michaux studied at both UVic and the University of British Columbia and is an alumni of the Aspen Music Festival and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He is currently on the faculty of the Victoria Conservatory of Music.
Other music planned for the April concert includes Jack Strachey’s Up With Curtain, Johann Strauss’ waltz Roses of the South, Eric Coates’ Calling All Workers, a Second World War favourite written to keep spirits and industrial production high in the factories in those dark war years. Finally, the orchestra performs Georges Bizet’s Galop and Jerome Kern’s Memories, arranged by British band leader Henry Hall.
Tickets are available at the UVic Centre box office 250-721-8480. For more deails, visit palmcourtorchestra.com.
