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July 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Vermont Symphony Orchestra

TD Bank Summer Festival Tour
Anthony Princiotti, Principal Guest Conductor

"The Birds and the Bees"

Having combed the literature for music from aviary and apiary, we offer a honey of a program—strictly G-rated—that really is just about birds and bees. From Jurassic Park’s pterodactyls to Tchaikovsky’s swans, the orchestra soars in a salute to wingers and stingers. Rimsky-Korsakov’s glorious Easter egg tale is paired with an unlikely bumblebee: our principal tubist! We even found a march that fits the bill, since America’s national emblem is the bald eagle. The 1812 Overture and fireworks take flight to conclude the concert. [Audiences would be mad as a hornet if we omitted them!]

For more information, visit www.vso.org.

July 18 at 7:30 p.m.

John Pizzarelli, jazz guitarist/singer

John Pizzarelli, the world-renowned jazz guitarist and singer, was called “Hip with a wink” by Town & Country, “madly creative” by the Los Angeles Times and “the genial genius of the guitar” by The Toronto Star. When he performs with his wife, singer/actress Jessica Molaskey, and his father, guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli, they were labeled “the First Family of Cool” by the San Francisco Chronicle and “the von Trapps on Martinis” by The New Yorker.”
Using performers like Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra and Joao Gilberto and the songs of composers from Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin to James Taylor, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Lennon & McCartney as touchstones, John Pizzarelli has established himself as one of the prime interpreters of the Great American Songbook and beyond, bringing to his work the cool jazz flavor of his brilliant guitar playing and singing.
His 2008 recording, the GRAMMY® Award nominated With A Song In My Heart, celebrates the music of legendary composer Richard Rodgers. The CD includes swinging Rodgers & Hart jazz standards like “The Lady Is A Tramp,” “Mountain Greenery” and “Johnny One Note,” in addition to theater songs from South Pacific and The King and I. The disc also featuring rare songs like “Nobody’s Heart” and “I Like To Recognize The Tune.”
Scheduled for release in February 2010, Rockin’ In Rhythm, the singer-guitarist’s first ever Duke Ellington recording, features 12 classic tracks that prove Pizzarelli – like Ellington – knows how to show off the strengths of the musicians in his band. In addition to a cut for solo guitar, four songs highlight the quartet (with pianist Larry Fuller, bassist Martin Pizzarelli and drummer Tony Tedesco) and seven include the Swing Seven horns with arrangements by Don Sebesky.
After a smash success with the Boston Pops, he was hailed by the Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.” And the Seattle Times called him “a tour de force” and “a rare entertainer of the old school.” Before a show in the northwest, the local paper quipped “John Pizzarelli is so impossibly cool, he shouldn’t be legally allowed to enter Oregon.”
For more information visit www.johnpizzarelli.com.

August 29 at 6:30 p.m.

Natalie MacMaster, Cape Breton fiddler

Meet Natalie MacMaster: wife, mother and virtuoso Cape Breton fiddler. You know her more as the latter than the former; an electrifying performer whose passionate proficiency on the beloved four-string amplifies the traditional East Coast sound for contemporary times.
It’s a signature sound that has resonated with world audiences through 10 albums, multiple gold sales figures and 27 years; numerous Juno and East Coast Music Awards; two honorary degrees (from Niagara University, NY, and Trent University) and an honorary doctorate (St. Thomas University); the Order Of Canada – and a reputation as one of Canada’s most captivating performers.
She also has the respect and admiration of the crème de la crème of top-notch musicians: master violinist Mark O’Connor, whose camp MacMaster frequents as a guest instructor; legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma – who recently invited her to prominently participate as a guest performer on his 2008 holiday-themed album Songs Of Joy & Peace; banjo prodigy Béla Fleck; fellow fiddling marvel Alison Krauss; spiritually electrifying superstar guitarist Carlos Santana – the list goes on.
But to Natalie MacMaster, her beloved family now shapes and informs her musicianship as much as the jigs, reels, air, waltzes, strathspeys, marches and traditional folk that feed her spiritual soul.
“Not so much the sound as the delivery,” states MacMaster, who married handsome fiddle phenomenon Donnell Leahy of Leahy in 2002. “I am a Mom now. I am a wife. Those things are my priorities in life, and I think people get a sense of that – of that part of who I am – through my show. But my music itself hasn’t changed.”
If anything, family has reinvigorated Natalie MacMaster’s commitment to the stage and her audience.
“I like being on stage even more,” she enthuses. “When I appear onstage, that’s my departure from Momhood – and I transform into Natalie MacMaster: the entertainer, the fiddler, the performer. I relish that now more.”
As do her audiences, who are left clapping, hollering and screaming for more as MacMaster and her band wow them with stylistic diversity as reflected in such top-selling CDs as the Grammy-nominated My Roots Are Showing, Blueprint and Yours Truly.
The applause only increases in excitement when MacMaster incorporates step dancing into her performance. For more information, visit www.nataliemacmaster.com

September 5 at 6:30 p.m.

United States Air Force Band of Liberty

The United States Air Force Band of Liberty is a select group of professional Airmen-musicians who support the global Air Force mission by providing outstanding musical products and services for official military, recruiting, and community relations events, and by fostering America's rich national heritage. It has been performing for military and civilian audiences throughout the New England region for over 30 years.
Known originally as the 541st Air Force Band of the Southwest stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, the unit relocated to Pease AFB, New Hampshire in 1978. Renamed the Air Force Band of New England, the band brought its musical message of pride, patriotism, and professionalism to concerts and events throughout New England. In 1991, the band received its current name and was assigned to Electronics Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, in Massachusetts.
The United States Air Force Band of Liberty consists of 45 active duty personnel who are assigned to two primary ensembles--the Concert Band and the Afterburner popular music group. The band also has several subgroups, including the Ceremonial Band, Liberty Jazz Band, Colonial Brass, New England Winds, Mach Four, and the Bay State Winds. The band performs approximately four hundred engagements a year, and has appeared at such venues as Lincoln Center in New York City and the Hatch Shell in Boston.
The United States Air Force Band of Liberty is dedicated to using the power of music to inspire our Air Force members and the great nation we serve, producing innovative musical programs and products, and communicating Air Force excellence throughout New England and around the globe. For more information, visit www.bandofliberty.af.mil

Free Concert  ~ No Tickets Required