Raritan Valley Symphonic Band Fall Concert “American Voices” Raritan Valley Symphonic Band Returns to Franklin Fall Concert “American Voices” Sunday October 20 @ 3 pm – Franklin High School – Free Admission The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band returns to Franklin to start its 42nd season with its Fall concert, “American Voices”, on Sunday October 20 at 3 PM. Under the direction of Music Director William Berz, the concert will be held at Franklin High School, 500 Elizabeth Avenue, Somerset, NJ. Admission is free! American composers of many different types of music, diverse backgrounds, and different eras will be featured during the performance. The concert begins with “Castles in Europe”, composed by James Resse Europe, one of the most famous African American musicians of his day. Called the “Martin Luther King of Music” by famous jazz pianist Eubie Blake, Europe became the first African American bandmaster in the US Army. He was bandleader for the dance duo of Vernon and Irene Castle, the inventors of the foxtrot. Castles in Europe was composed in 1914 with the subtitle “The Innovation Troy-Ragtime March”, referring to the Castle dancers. After leaving the Castles’ band, Europe joined the New York Army National Guard and was

Raritan Valley Symphonic Band “40th Anniversary” Concert: William Berz, Conductor; Jerry Rife & Christopher Sumner, Guest Conductors Sunday, April 28 @ 4 pm The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band celebrates the 40th anniversary of their first concert at their annual spring concert on Sunday, April 28. Musical Director William Berz will lead the band’s performance of five works originally performed at the first concert in March 1984. Former musical directors Jerry Rife and Christopher Sumner have been invited to be guest conductors for two additional works. The concert will be held at Franklin High School, 500 Elizabeth Ave., Somerset NJ at 4 pm and admission is free. The concert begins with Procession of the Nobles, the final movement from an orchestral suite that Rimsky-Korsakov adapted from his opera/ballet, Mlada. Originally titled “Cortege”, it was arranged by Erik Leidzen for the Goldman Band in 1938. Erik Leidzen’s arrangement of Italian Polka was originally written by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1906 based on a melody he heard in Italy played by an old street organ. Originally composed as a work for two pianos, Rachmaninoff asked Erik Leidzen to arrange the work for wind ensemble in 1939 and was first played by the Goldman Band