USA East Music NYSB BULLETIN - SUMMER 2018 | Page 10

NYSB Tour of Japan 2018
Written by NYSB Bandsmen, compiled and edited by Karen Shaffstall, NYSB First Cornet
After leaving America at 6pm on Sunday,
March 18 the New York Staff Band deplanes
around 9pm on Monday, evening, March 19.
The Band passes through customs
without any notable delays, collects their
luggage, boards multiple shuttle busses, and
heads to the airport hotel just about an hour
outside of Tokyo.
It’s Tuesday morning, March 20, the day of
our first concert in Japan.
The Osaka Symphony Hall is Japan’s
oldest and most famous venue—an exquisite
acoustic space that regularly hosts world
class ensembles. This evening’s concert is
sold out to a largely secular crowd (over 90%)
who subscribe to its classical music series.
After a short flight from Tokyo to Osaka, a
warm welcome was awaiting the band. 1,700
seats, a pristine pipe organ complete with
gallery choir seating.
An enthusiastic crowd began arriving 90
minutes prior to start time. It had been 29
years since the New York Staff Band’s Pacific
Bridge Tour in 1989 and many were excited
to hear the band under its new Bandmaster,
Derek Lance.
Derek chose a blended program for our
first concert with quite literally something for
everyone:
Living Power, Tom Davoren
Semper Fidelis, Martin Cordner
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Jonathan Rowsell
Flashback, Brian Bowen
(Brindley Venables, cornet
soloist)
Russlan and Ludmila, Glinka
arr. Michael Kenyon
When I Survey, Olaf Ritman
(Matthew Luhn, trombone
soloist)
The Kingdom Triumphant, Eric
Ball
Valero, arr. Sandy Smith
New York, New York, arr. Goff
Richards
Harlequin, Philip Sparke
(Aaron VanderWeele,
euphonium soloist)
Lloyd, arr. Paul Lovatt-Cooper
Band Chorus—Psalm 23, arr.
Dorothy Gates
Wake Up the Saint, Martin
Cordner
Encore items:
Jounetsu—Tairiku, Taro Hakase
Rock of Ages
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