The musicians of the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band and the Chuck and Patti Pfister Family are proud to present “What The World Needs Now: The Music of Burt Bacharach” on Monday September 18, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be held in historic Gardiner Spring Auditorium on the campus of Chaffey High School, 1250 N. Euclid Ave. in Ontario. The Woodwind Celebration Ensemble will present a pre-concert recital in the auditorium lobby at 7:00 p.m. Complimentary coffee and cookies will be served in the lobby prior to the concert. The performance is free to the public.
The concert represents the start of the Show Band’s 38th season of providing quality musical performances for the concert goers of the greater Ontario community. The program features a repertoire of hit songs from renowned composer/songwriter Burt Bacharach. Bacharach, who passed away on February 8, 2023 at the age of 94, is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. His music has been recorded by over 1,000 recording artists, most notably Dionne Warwick, The Carpenters, Elvis Costello, and Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass.
The show band’s special guest artist will be jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and educator Aimee Nolte. Aimee has made a name for herself with her extensive YouTube channel that boasts nearly a thousand educational and entertaining videos. With over 250,000 subscribers, Aimee is in high demand as a clinician, and performer. She just returned from teaching at Victor Wooten’s Theory Camp in Tennessee and is thrilled to be in the company of the show band once again. Aimee will perform four Bacharach hit songs; “Close To You,” “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,” “The Look of Love,” and “That’s What Friends Are For.”
Also highlighting the concert program is Assistant Director Pat Arnold who will perform a tenor saxophone solo on the beautiful ballad “Here I Am” from the film score of What’s New Pussycat. Show Band Director Gabe Petrocelli is featured on the keyboard in “A House Is Not A Home.” The outstanding musicians of the Show Band will highlight the evening with their performances of “Do You Know The Way To San Jose,” “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,” and “What The World Needs Now.” In addition, they will perform several medleys of Bacharach tunes that include “What’s New Pussycat,” “Alfie,” featuring a saxophone solo by Francisco Mowatt, the theme song from the film “Casino Royale,” the title song from the musical “Promises, Promises,” “Make It Easy On Yourself,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” and “Arthur’s Theme: The Best That I Can Do.”
The performance will be narrated by newspaper columnist David Allen, and Ontario City Councilman Alan Wapner.
Support for the show band can be shown by visiting and feeding the Hungry Tuba located in the lobby. The concert will be broadcast on local Ontario cable Channel 3. Check your cable listings for the date and time.
The Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band was founded in 1985 by R. Jack Mercer and is now under the direction of Dr. Gabe Petrocelli and assistant directors David Schaafsma and Pat Arnold. Band members represent at least two dozen communities throughout Southern California. Adult musicians and students are invited to participate. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from 7 to 9:00 p.m. at the Chaffey High School Jack Mercer Band Room. The band performs monthly concerts on the campus of Chaffey High School as well as at other venues throughout the community. All performances are free to the public.
For more information about the concert visit the Show Band website at www.showband.net or contact Dr. Petrocelli at gabe@showband.net. The “Friends of the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band” is a registered charity under Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c)(3); EIN # 46-1422958. Donations are welcomed. Checks may be made out to: Friends of the OCCSB, P.O. Box 1512, Ontario, CA 91762. Concert goers interested in being included on the Show Band mailing list are encouraged to fill out an information card at our events. Be sure to follow the Show Band on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or its website at www.showband.net.