Thank you to all who attended our previous concert!
March Concert
March 20, 2025
West Caldwell High School Theater
6:oopm
Mr. Bill Witcher, Conductor
Mr. Ed Whitener, Conductor
Ms. Kayla Pack Watson, Administrator
Mrs. Karen S. Burton, Director Harper School
Program
The Strategic Air Command March……………..…………………. Clifton Williams
The Strategic Air Command March was written as a tribute to the United States Strategic Air Command. Clifton Williams served his World War II military time in a U.S. Air Force band. The march was premiered at the SAC Band's annual concert in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 14, 1963, and was conducted by the composer.
Beautiful River………………………………………………………………..Rev. Robert Lowry
Arr. Carol Brittin Chambers
A beautiful setting of the gospel hymn, Shall We Gather at the River, this lush arrangement opens with an oboe solo with woodwind choir. The varied textures create interest, finally leading to a calm ending.
Red Rock Mountain………………………………………………….……….Rossano Galante
This composition is an episodic work that paints a musical portrait of a beautiful mountain landscape. Brass fanfares and soaring wind lines begin the piece, transitioning into an emotional section depicting the mountains at dusk. As the sun rises and sheds light on its peaks, the music becomes lyrical and rhythmically incisive, culminating in a heroic brass finale that depicts the full grandeur of the mountains
Bill Witcher, Conductor
Under the Rice Moon…………………………………..………………..………Victor Lopez
This hauntingly lovely melody is embellished with intriguing counter melodies. A rice moon, described as a full white moon of winter or early spring, is distinctly portrayed musically. High energy best describes this very programmatic work.
Smoke On the Water……………………..Blackmore, Gillan,Glover, Lord, Paice
Arr. Johnnie Vinson
The lyrics of the song tell a true story: on 4 December 1971 Deep Purple were in Montreux, Switzerland, where they had set up camp to record an album. On the eve of the recording session, the place suddenly caught fire when somebody in the audience fired a flare gun toward the rattan covered ceiling, as mentioned in the "some stupid with a flare gun" line. Although there were no major injuries, the resulting fire destroyed the entire complex. The "smoke on the water" that became the title of the song (credited to bass guitarist Roger Glover, who related how the title occurred to him when he suddenly woke from a dream a few days later) referred to the smoke from the fire spreading over Lake Geneva.
Ed Whitener, Conductor