Gary and Miriam Keith will present the musicians of the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band in the performance of “Rhapsody in Blue: The Music of George Gershwin” on Monday June 20, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. in Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium.
The Woodwind Celebration Ensemble will present a pre-concert recital in the auditorium lobby at 7:00 p.m.
Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium is located on the campus of Chaffey High School at 1245 North Euclid Avenue in Ontario.
The concert will be narrated by David Allen, newspaper columnist for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, and Ontario City Councilman Alan Wapner. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free to the public.
The June concert is to feature a repertoire of George Gershwin’s memorable compositions highlighted by a performance of “Rhapsody in Blue.” Featured soloists include the show band’s assistant director, Pat Arnold, longtime show band friend and vocal soloist Marilyne Sherwood, vocalist and frequent guest Brian Detwiler, guest conductor and violoncello soloist Matthew Keating, and concert pianist Dr. Maria Perez.
The Chaffey Community Show Band’s program pays tribute to one of the icons of American music whose works spanned across both popular and classical genres.
George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn New York on September 26, 1898 and passed away in Los Angeles on July 11, 1937 at the age of 38 from the effects of a brain tumor. His enormous body of work, composed in slightly more than two decades, included orchestral compositions such as “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Concerto in F,” and “An American in Paris,” solo piano works, several operas including the groundbreaking Porgy and Bess, 18 Broadway musicals, and over 500 popular songs.
Sherwood will perform three Gershwin hits, “Embraceable You,” “The Man I Love,” and “Summertime” from the folk opera Porgy and Bess.
Detwiler will sing “I Got Plenty of Nuttin'” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” Pat Arnold will be the featured vocalist on “Our Love Is Here To Stay.”