Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Headlines Maplerock

Ashland University’s award-winning jazz program is proud to present the 41st Annual Maplerock Jazz Festival slated for Friday, March 20. Along with free performances by nine area school jazz ensembles from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event presents a main stage concert at 7:30 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre which will headline The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra.

The Jazz Festival's evening concert will open with the Ashland University Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Scott Garlock fresh off of their tour to Spain. Dr. Garlock will then switch roles and take the stage as lead trombonist in The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra (CJO).

For 35 years, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra has been Northeast Ohio’s premier jazz voice. Led by Paul Ferguson as the artistic director, the CJO promotes jazz in its historical and contemporary forms, through concerts with gifted jazz musicians, arrangers, composers and educators in northeast Ohio. The CJO aims for worldwide recognition in cooperation with guest artists, and looks to shepherd young musicians toward the future of jazz. Their 2019-2020 season exemplifies this mission and vision through a variety of new music, new compositions and arrangements, and a stellar line-up of well-known guest artists and young up-and-coming talent.

Paul has played with the CJO since 1988 and was named the artistic director in CJO's 31st season. Before joining CJO, Paul traveled with and arranged for the Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller Orchestras. Recognized as one of the leading jazz composer/arrangers of his generation, he was recipient of the Gil Evans fellowship in Jazz Composition in 1995 and was the sole American finalist at the ART-EZ Jazz composition contest in Enschede, Holland in 2012. His works have been recorded by various radio orchestras in Europe and his arrangements for Pops orchestra are performed internationally. His most recent recordings are “Encounter”, “Rays of Light” and “Big Band Christmas.” A graduate of the Eastman school and the University of Akron, Paul is Senior Instructor in music at Case Western Reserve University.

Along with Ferguson and Garlock, the CJO roster includes saxophonists Howie Smith, Brad Wagner, Christopher Burge, John Klayman, Johnny Cochran and George Shernit; Jack Schantz, Theresa May, Dave Banks and Joseph Miller on trumpet; along with Chris Anderson, Paul Hungerford and Chas Baker on trombone. The rhythm section consists of pianist Jackie Warren, bassist Aidan Plank, and Jim Rupp on drums. Evelyn Wright will perform vocals for the CJO concert.

In addition to the evening concert, CJO members will conduct a public clinic with nine high school bands that will perform earlier in the day in Hugo Young Theatre. After each high school band performs their 30-minute concert, the guest artists will meet with the band and offer their expertise to strengthen the ensemble and individual musician's performance. The Jazz Festival's afternoon performances are scheduled as follows:

11:30 a.m. MidOhio Jazz Lab
12:00 p.m. Crestview High School Jazz Band
12:30 p.m. Lake High School Jazz Band
1:00 p.m.   Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School Jazz Band
1:30 p.m.   Ashland High School Jazz Band B
2:00 p.m.   MidOhio Jazz Combo
2:30 p.m.   Rittman High School Jazz Band
3:00 p.m.   Galion High School Jazz Band
3:30 p.m.   Ashland High School Jazz Band A

The afternoon performances are free and open to the public while tickets for the evening concert are available through the Ashland University Box Office at 419.289.5125, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or online (additional fees apply) at www.ashland.edu/tickets.

Tickets for the evening concert are $10 for adults; $5 for senior citizens, non-Ashland University students and Ashland University faculty and staff; and free for Ashland University students.

AU Jazz Returns to Spain

The Ashland University Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Scott Garlock returned to Spain for another concert tour. Here is a photo of them waiting for their departure from Ashland University yesterday. They arrived safely across the pond. All the best to them in their concerts and adventures.

Pre-Spain Jazz Concert

The Ashland University Jazz Orchestra will preview their Spain tour repertoire at a special Jazz at the Nest concert on Monday, Mar. 2 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.

Winter Choral Concert, Mar. 1

The Ashland University Choir, Chamber Singers and Women's Chorus present a concert to relieve our cabin fever on Sunday, Mar. 1 at 4 p.m. in the Jack and Deb Miller Chapel. The eclectic program will offer everything from a Mass to songs with Shakespeare text and a popular song from a movie soundtrack. The concert is free and open to the public.

Dr. Rowland Blackley, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities, will conduct the University Choir and Ashland Chamber Orchestra in a performance of Antonio Vilvadi's Gloria in D including student soloists Gracie Fumic, Alli Lange, Emily Schordock, Lila Wolfe and Rebecca Young.

The Chamber Singers, also conducted by Dr. Blackley, will perform selections which use all Shakespeare text including Four, a four movement piece by Matthew Harris consisting of Full Fathom Five, Who Is Sylvia?, Tell Me Where Is Fancy Bred and Come Away, Come Away, Death; Edwin Fissinger's Sweet and Twenty as well as Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind by John Rutter.

Directed by Deborah Logan and accompanied by Susan Gregg, the Women's Chorus' selections will feature Stephen Schwartz's When You Believe from The Prince of Egypt soundtrack, How Can I Keep from Singing? by Robert Lowry and Giuseppe Pitoni's Cantate Domino.

Reed to Perform with Ashland Native, Kevin Jones, Feb. 17

The Department of Music at Ashland University announces a concert featuring Dr. Thomas Reed, Professor of Music, on clarinet, with guest artist and Ashland native, Kevin Jones on piano. The free, public concert will be held on Monday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall in the Center for the Arts (formerly known as the Arts & Humanities Building).

For his 35th consecutive annual faculty concert at Ashland University, Dr. Reed will perform a program of classical pieces with Mr. Jones including Cantilene by Louis Cahuzac, Gordon Jacob's four-movement arrangement of Tartini's Concertino, and Paquito D'Rivera's Two Pieces for Clarinet and Piano. After an intermission, they will return to the stage for Carl Maria von Weber's Grand Duo Concertante, Op. 48.

Reed is professor of music and chair of the departments of music and theatre at Ashland University where he has taught since 1986 in a number of areas including applied woodwinds, music theory and jazz studies. He is a member of the Akron Symphony and Ashland Symphony, was a long-time member of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and has performed on clarinet or saxophone with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Blossom Festival Orchestra, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, Youngstown Symphony, Blossom Festival Band and the Jazz Unit. He has been a soloist with the Akron, Mansfield and Ashland Symphonies and performs on CDs from the Akron Symphony, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and the Paul Ferguson Jazz Orchestra. His clarinet CD “Mutually Inclusive” was released in 2008 on Capstone Records. He is also a founding member of Iron Toys, a woodwind quartet that performs original repertoire for saxophones, clarinets and flutes. The quartet released their first CD in 2015. He holds degrees from The Ohio State University, the University of Michigan and the University of Akron.

Kevin Jones began formal musical training at the age of four. After preparatory and high school musical training in Ashland with Judith Thomas and John Gilbert, he attended Southern Methodist University and completed his undergraduate degree at Ashland College, studying organ with Karel Paukert and piano with Elizabeth Pastor. Mr. Jones went on to earn graduate degrees in Collaborative Piano and in Organ Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Pastor, Karel Paukert, Anne Epperson, Thomas Muraco, and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein.

From 1996 to 2004, Jones held the post of Musical Director/Conductor of the New York City based Gilbert & Sullivan ensemble, the Blue Hill Troupe, Ltd. With that ensemble he made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut as guest with Skitch Henderson’s New York Pops Symphony Orchestra. Along with U.S. performances at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Oberlin College, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and many other sites, he has performed throughout Europe and the Far East including a recent performance on the Pipes at One series at St. Paul’s Chapel, NYC.

From 2007 to 2012, Jones was Canon Precentor and Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, Connecticut, as well as being a member of the vocal division faculty at the Hartt School. Since 2013, Mr. Jones is Minister of Music at First Congregational Church, Columbus, Ohio, where he oversees a large music program of four choirs and the longstanding concert series Concerts at First Church.

Ashland to Host OPCICA Honors Festival

Ashland University Department of Music is honored to host the 2020 Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association (OPCICA) Honors Festival culminating with a free, public concert on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre. The 2020 OPCICA Festival is organized by the association's president, John Packard (Mount Vernon Nazarene University), along with the local hosts from Ashland University, Joseph Lewis and Dr. Scott Garlock.

OPCICA represents the instrumental music programs in Ohio's private colleges and universities, whose primary purpose is sponsoring an annual honors festival. This year's festival will involve 111 student musicians and 25 band directors representing 17 schools including Ashland University, Bluffton University, Case Western Reserve University, College of Wooster, Defiance College, Heidelberg University, Kenyon College, Malone University, Marietta College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Muskingum University, Notre Dame College, Ohio Northern University, Otterbein University, University of Findlay, Wittenberg University and Walsh University.

Participating students have been nominated by their university band directors for their exceptional musicianship. All participating students and directors will arrive on the Ashland University campus on Saturday to rehearse with the OPCICA Honors Concert Band or Honors Jazz Band. The bands will then perform at Sunday afternoon's concert.

The OPCICA Honors Concert Band will perform the following pieces led by the corresponding conductors: Joyce’s 71st N.Y. Reg’t March (Joseph Lewis, Ashland University), Early Light (Roy Couch, Bluffton University), Cloudburst (Tom Roblee, Walsh University), Divertimento (Michael Kruger, Notre Dame College), and Danza Final from Estancia (Chris Schletter, Marietta College).

The OPCICA Honors Jazz Band's program will include performances of The Star-Spangled Banner, Thinking, Doin' the Things, Tones for Joan's Bones, Armando's Rhumba and Minor Bop II conducted by Jason Wyse, Malone University; Jordan Reed, Marietta College; and Jack Taylor, University of Findlay.

Ashland University students selected for the honors bands include Emma Graves on flute; Jacob Moses, Matt Roth, Hannah Smigel and Sydney Muller on clarinet; french horn players Jacob Bodnar and Bethany Leggett; and Eric Watts, bass trombone.

In addition to the OPCICA honors bands, the Ashland University Symphonic Band will perform as the host ensemble. Their selections include Sousa's Semper Fidelis, the World Premiere of Dr. Stefan Swanson's Women of World War II, Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium, as well as The Golden Age of the Xylophone featuring guest soloist Elizabeth Procopio.

Spring 2020 Music Event Schedule Released

The Spring 2020 music event schedule for Ashland University is now available online at ashland.edu/music or in hard copy through the Ashland University Box Office.

The schedule begins with Ashland Area Chorus rehearsals resuming on Monday, Jan. 13 and the hosting of the Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association (OPCICA) Honors Festival culminating with a free, public concert on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre.

From the annual Maplerock Jazz Festival to the spring opera scenes, choral and band concerts, faculty and guest artist recitals -- the schedule offers something for everyone and almost all of the performances are free and open to the public.

Be sure to review the schedule today and save the date for all of your favorites.

Winter Band Concert Showcases a World Premiere & Xylophone Soloist

The Department of Music presents its annual Winter Festival Band Concert on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre. Under the direction of Joseph Lewis, Jr., the concert will feature the Ashland University Symphonic Band and the Ashland Area Community Concert Band (AACCB). The concert will offer a program of classic compositions for concert band along with some holiday favorites. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Ashland University Symphonic Band is comprised of the outstanding wind and percussion players at the University. The ensemble's program will showcase guest percussionist Elizabeth Procopio on xylophone as she joins the Symphonic Band on Floyd Werle's The Golden Age of the Xylophone. The Band will also perform the World Premiere of Dr. Stefan Swanson's (Visiting Assistant Professor of Music) Women of World War II. This portion of the concert will also include performances of Sousa's Semper Fidelis March and Morton Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium.

After a brief intermission, the 65-member Ashland Area Community Concert Band takes the stage. Established in 1993, the ensemble is designed for both university students and members of the Ashland community to continue their musical study and creative activity.

The Community Band's program begins with a Spanish Pasodoble Amparito Roca and an arrangement of Holst's In the Bleak Midwinter. The program will also feature pieces with guest conductors Dave Wolbert, retired Ashland City Schools music teacher, and Sean DeLong, Band Director at Ontario Local Schools. The program will conclude with a sing along of many Christmas favorites.

TubaChristmas Returns to Ashland on Dec. 7

The local holiday favorite TubaChristmas returns to Ashland University's Hugo Young Theatre on Saturday, December 7 at Noon. The concert is free and open to the public and invites area tuba, euphonium and baritone players to perform. Musician registration will begin at 10 a.m. followed by a rehearsal at 10:20 a.m.

In addition to the volunteer performers, the event also showcases a "Celebrity Tubist" which this year is going to be a surprise guest and will be revealed by Dr. Scott Garlock, the event organizer, at the concert.

TubaChristmas is an idea conceived by Harvey Phillips, Professor of Tuba at Indiana University. Mr. Phillips wanted to demonstrate to the public what a beautiful sound a mass ensemble of tubas and euphoniums could make and to provide an opportunity for fellow low brass players to celebrate the season with the community. TubaChristmas is dedicated to the memory of Mr. William J. Bell.  It’s a fun, holiday tradition that the whole family can enjoy.

The registration fee for participating musicians is $10 and includes a 2019 TubaChristmas button. The TubaChristmas carol book is also available for $20.

For more information, contact Professor of Music Dr. Scott Garlock at 419.289.5134 or sgarlock@ashland.edu

Holiday Jazz Concert, Dec. 5

The Ashland University Department of Music will present an Ashland University Jazz Concert on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 pm in Hugo Young Theatre. The concert is free and open to the public.

Under the direction of Dr. Scott Garlock, the concert will offer pre-concert music from the Lost and Profound jazz combo with Jared Metz on alto saxophone; Ariane Hill, flute, Alex Trotter, vibes; Torin Dunn, guitar; Alex Kwan, piano; Jackson Schultz, bass and Molly Winnard, drums.

The 4th annual AUJO Alumni Big Band will rehearse prior to the concert beginning at 6 p.m. for anyone who is interested in playing in the concert. They will perform selections beginning at 7:30 p.m. followed by the Ashland University Jazz Orchestra's (AUJO) program of jazz standards and holiday favorites including Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, O Tannenbaum and Let It Snow.

The 2019-2020 AUJO roster includes saxophonists Jacob Moses, Logan O'Lasky, Hannah Smigel, Ariane Hill and Erika Wright; Nick Lawwill, Branden Barber, Nathan Roblin and Jacob Bodnar on trumpet; trombonists Luke Blackley, Colette Mooney, Eric Watts and Emily Schordock on mellophone; while the rhythm section consists of Moriah Goldsmith on piano, Susie Alley on bass, guitarist Torin Dunn, Molly Willard on drums and vocalist Alli Lange.

AUJO will have their holiday CD recording "AUJOy to the World" featuring vocals by Cathi Muckle available for purchase at the concert at $10 each.

Clarinets, Flutes, Brass & Strings Perform, 12/4

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m., several student ensembles will perform in a joint recital including a clarinet trio and the Flute Loops Jazz Combo under the direction of Dr. Thomas Reed, a brass ensemble directed by Joseph Lewis Jr. and a string ensemble directed by Jane Reed. The concert is free and open to the public.

Fall Honors Recital Performers Announced

The best of Fall 2019 will be showcased at the Honors Recital on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.

Students who accomplished exceptional musical work during the semester will showcase their talents as selected by their private teachers including:

VOCALISTS: Sami Eron, Lila Hyatt, Maya Rickard, Alayna Ross, Katie Snell, Rebecca Young

INSTRUMENTALISTS: Kailyn Buyok (violin), Ariane Hill (flute), Jed McFadden (piano/violin)

Percussion Ensemble Perfoms New Works, 11/25

On Monday, Nov. 25, at 7:30 p.m. under the direction of Liz Procopio, the AU Percussion Ensemble will present a concert of all contemporary works by modern composers including Music for Pieces of Wood by Steve Reich, In C by Terry Riley, and selections of Living Room Music by John Cage. In addition, the ensemble will perform the World Premieres of new works by AU composition studio students. The concert is free and open to the public.

PANdemonium4 Flute Quartet Performs 11/8

Ashland University Department of Music presents a guest artist recital featuring the Ohio-based flute quartet, PANdemonium4, on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. The concert program will feature contemporary pieces by composers from Ohio, across the U.S. as well as France including an arrangement of the top rock anthem from the American heavy metal band Metallica. The concert is free and open to the public.

This highly talented quartet of teacher-performer professionals represents a diverse group of Ohio universities through their teaching (Capital University, Mariettta College, Ohio University, Otterbein University, West Virginia University), along with a substantial listing of symphonies and chamber ensembles from their performances around the state and beyond (Ashland Symphony Orchestra, Central Ohio Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Westerville Symphony, Mansfield Symphony, Austin (TX) Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Hawaii and Honolulu Symphonies, West Virginia Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Famous Jazz Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival Chamber Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble).

Dr. Kimberlee Goodman, Lindsey Goodman, Lisa Jelle and Alison Brown Sincoff share a mutual passion for promoting all things flute in central Ohio and impacting the global future of chamber music collaborations within the setting of the quartet. They formed PANdemonium4 in 2016, and have performed at two National Flute Association Annual Conventions and in seven different states. They released their first studio recording titled Bolling & Beyond: Lisa Jelle, Jazz-Inspired Flute. Mark Flugge Remembered.

For their concert in Ashland, they will be joined by percussionist Liz Procopio and bassist Jeremey Poparad who are also teaching-performer professionals while teaching in their discipline at Ashland University. They will assist PANdemonium on Mark Flugge's Jazz Fantasy for Flute Quartet with optional bass and percussion in three movements (Ahmad, The Letter, Samba Fantasy).

Other pieces in the program include Daniel Dorff's Musetta Steps Out which is based on "Musetta's Waltz" from Puccini's La Bohème, Eugene Bozza's Jour d'été à la montagne, Cynthia Folio's Four 'Scapes (Cityscape, Seascape, Landscape, Escape), Linda Kernohan's My Compass Still to Guide Me, and Nicole Chamberlin's arrangement of Metallica's Enter Sandman.

Senior Recital: Samantha Eron, Soprano

Music and political science major Samantha Eron (Brighton, Michigan) will perform her senior vocal recital on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. She will be accompanied by pianist Deborah Logan and fellow soprano Rebecca Young. Her program will include classical pieces by Debussy, Mozart along with operetta and musical theatre compositions by Menotti, Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The concert is free and open to the public.

Sounds of the Stadium Concert, 11/2

The Ashland University Department of Music presents the Sounds of the Stadium concert featuring the Ashland University Eagle Marching Band under the direction of Joseph Lewis, Jr., Director of Bands, on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:00 p.m. in Kates Gymnasium. The concert is free and open to the public.

The 2019 Eagle Marching Band will perform selections from their halftime shows including music from Imagine Dragons, The Millenial Show, Toto, The Halloween Show, and others along with other Ashland University traditional favorites. The color guard and feature twirlers will also perform at this concert which will be inside Kates Gymnasium away from inclement weather.

Fall Choral Concert, Oct. 27

The Ashland University Choir, Women's Chorus and the Ashland Area Chorus present a fall choral concert with an eclectic program centered around the theme of hope, happiness and security including Handel's "Sing unto God," Duruflé’s Requiem along with the Irish folk song "The Parting Glass" as sung by The Wailin’ Jennys and much more. The concert will be held on Sunday, October 27 at 4 p.m. in the Jack and Deb Miller Chapel and is free and open to the public.

Dr. Rowland Blackley, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities, will conduct the University Choir with accompaniment by Dr. Timothy Guenther. Their portion of the program will include“San’bonani,” a traditional IsiZulu welcome song arranged by Michael Barrett; the festive music of Lloyd Pfautsch and the joyful poetry of Joseph Addison together in the choral fanfare “Consecrate the Place and Day;” and “Behold, How Good” by Michael John Trotta.

The program continues with Jake Runestad's “Please Stay” which is a simple but dramatic piece that was commissioned by a consortium of Ohio universities including Ashland University; along with a motet imploring God’s peace by the Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz; Handel's “Sing unto God;” and the upbeat traditional spiritual “Walk Together, Children” arranged by Moses Hogan.

Directed by Deborah Logan and accompanied by Susan Gregg, the Women's chorus' selections will include Douglas Wagner's arrangement of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Linden Lea;" "As the Rain Hides the Stars" by Elaine Hagenberg; and the Irish folk song "The Parting Glass" as sung by The Wailin’ Jennys.

For the Ashland Area Chorus, director Elizabeth Slade has selected Maurice Duruflé's Requiem. Written for a solo voice, mixed choir, and organ, the Requiem's thematic material is mostly taken from the Mass for the Dead in Gregorian chant.

Jazz at the Nest, 10/15

Led by Dr. Scott Garlock, Professor of Music, the award-winning Ashland University Jazz Orchestra will present a free public concert Tuesday, Oct.15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Eagles Nest at the Hawkins-Conard Student Center, 1010 King Road.

Audience members are welcome to grab a snack, enjoy a beverage and relax to the live music in the venue’s relaxed, club-like atmosphere.

The concert will offer an eclectic mix of old and new arrangements including Kahn and Jones' It Had to Be You, an arrangement of Danny Boy by Paul Ferguson, Nat King Cole's Straighten Up and Fly Right, Semi-Mental Journey by Brown and Homer, and Benny Carter's Vine Street Rumble.

The 2019-20 AUJO roster includes saxophonists Jacob Moses, Logan O'Lasky, Hannah Smigel, Ariane Hill and Erika Wright; Nick Lawwill, Branden Barber, Nathan Roblin and Jacob Bodnar on trumpet; trombonists Luke Blackley, Colette Mooney, Eric Watts and Emily Schordock on mellophone; while the rhythm section consists of Moriah Goldsmith on piano, Susie Alley on bass, guitarist Torin Dunn, Molly Willard on drums and vocalist Alli Lange.

Reed Busy Performing Throughout NE Ohio

Dr. Thomas Reed, professor of Music and chair of the Music and Theatre Departments, has given a number of performances in recent months. 

• Played saxophone with the Cleveland Orchestra in performances of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" at Blossom Music Center July 5 and 6.
• Performed as Assistant Principal Clarinet with the Blossom Festival Band on July 3 and 4. 
• On June 29 he played saxophone with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. 
• In May and June he played clarinet and saxophone in the Cleveland Orchestra's performances of the film score to "An American in Paris" at Severance Hall.
• And played Bass Clarinet with the Akron Symphony in the concert version of "West Side Story." 
• In March, he performed as Principal Clarinet with the Akron Symphony in Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and works by Korngold and Adams.
• Performed on the CD "Blue is More Than a Color," by Youngstown State University faculty member Dave Morgan. On the CD Reed plays baritone saxophone and bass clarinet, and is clarinet soloist on the song "Coisa Nova." The CD is available on Spotify and iTunes.

Blackley to Conduct Annual "Pops in the Park"

The Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Ashland City's Brookside Park will host its annual "Pops in the Park" concert by the Ashland Symphony Orchestra  and Ashland Area Chorus on Sunday, June 30 at 8 p.m. 

Under the direction of Dr. Ron Blackley, audience members will have the chance to sing along to popular movie musical numbers from “Mamma Mia!,” “La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman.” The concert will also include several patriotic pieces in honor of Independence Day including the “Armed Forces Salute,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “America the Beautiful” and two marches by John Philip Sousa: “Semper Fidelis” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The symphony will bring back the “1812 Overture” featuring mock cannon fire from Civil War Battery D from the 1st Ohio Light Artillery. Audience members will be provided with paper bags and sparklers to set off during the performance as well.

From 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., ASO’s instrument petting zoo will be open to participants of all ages
interested in learning about different musical instruments.

Freewill donations will be collected during the performance which will benefit both the ASO and Band Shell.

In the event of inclement weather the concert will be moved to Ashland High School’s Archer
Auditorium at 8 p.m.