History buffs, rock & roll and bluegrass music fans as well as solar energy enthusiasts will revel in this year's eclectic Greg Johnston Summer Concerts line-up. The first of three summertime concerts is scheduled for Friday, June 20 at the University Honors Plaza. The New Mexico Territorial Brass Band will cap off Staff Appreciation Week with a mix of music popular before and during the American Civil War during a noontime concert.
Photo: The New Mexico Territorial Brass Band
The University Honors Plaza is located southeast of the SUB and south of the Student Health Center. As part of Staff Appreciation week, free ice cream bars will be provided.
The New Mexico Territorial Brass Band is dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of the first generation of the American brass band tradition.
The ensemble uses antique and reproduction instruments and wears authentic nineteenth century clothing to capture the sight and sounds of this dramatic era.
The band’s musical repertoire contains more than 100 songs including popular ballads like Aura Lee, Lorena, and When Johnny Comes Marching Home. The band provides dance music of the era, including Sunny Hours Waltz, Blondinette Polka and Mountain Bell Schottisch.
Patriotic songs abound, including Battle Hymn of the Republic, Hail Columbia, and America. The work of Stephen Foster is featured prominently. Many of the band’s arrangements are taken directly from the archives of Union and Confederate regimental bands. The band is involved in three types of performances: educational, historical reenactment, and musical entertainment.
The summer concerts were named the Greg Johnston Summer Concerts last year in honor and recognition for Johnston’s work as founder of the concerts on behalf of the Work+Life Committee. The concerts provide staff with a new and unique way to enjoy their lunch hour once each month during the summer.
Johnston, who worked in the University Communication and Marketing Department as a Sr. Communications Specialist, passed away in 2007 after a brief battle with cancer.
The concerts are sponsored by the Office of Institutional Advancement, Division of Student Affairs and UNM Staff Council’s Work+Life Committee.
Other concerts will be held Friday, July 18 with a yet-to-be-named rock band, and also Friday, Aug. 17, featuring the Squash Blossom Boys. Each concert begins at noon at the University Honors Plaza.
For a complete Staff Appreciation event schedule visit:
Staff Appreciation
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at June 16, 2008 05:08 PM