All donations to CFSOF from February 15 – March 3, 2024 will be donated to our beneficiary Zebra Youth.

Zebra Youth is an organization that provides services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and all youth (LGBTQ+) ages 13 – 24. Zebra assists young people facing homelessness, bullying, isolation from their families, and physical, sexual, and drug abuse with individualized programs to guide them to recovery and stability.

“Love is Universal”

Artistic Director – Dr. Lindsey Williams

ACT 1 

TO DANCE AMONG THE STARS – Brian Balmages

Sponsored by – Flower No 5

Joy. Wonder. The infinite backdrop of space and the stars… These thoughts inspire a bold rhythmic fanfare and the uplifting themes found throughout this formative work. A beautiful, ethereal section uses extended percussion techniques to portray the expanse of the universe, allowing the listener to slow down and reset. Having emerged renewed, we dance our hearts out one final time.

PURE IMAGINATION – words and music by -Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, arr. Douglas E Wagner

Sponsored by – Chris Martin / Copperhead Salon

From the 1971 Academy-award nominated film score of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) comes the memorable title “Pure Imagination,” by songwriting team Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. With its message of endless possibilities and dreams fulfilled, it has remained as popular today as it was in the 1970s or so says the 5.5 million views on YouTube. The tune surfaces three times in the movie, first during the opening title music, then as the feature number by Gene Wilder as he leads his assembled golden ticket winners into the chocolate room, and finally, as part of the “Wonkavator” music at the end. Great fun for all generations to come!

WELCOME FROM OUR PRESIDENT MIKE MCKEE

GERSHWIN! – arr. – Warren Barker

Sponsored by – St. Dorothy Catholic Community

An American treasure, George Gerswhin (1898-1937), was a composer and pianist whose compositions spanned nearly all genres of music including, popular, jazz, classical, and musical theater. Some of his most famous works are “Fascinating Rhythm” (1924), “I Got Rhythm” (1930), “Embraceable You” (1928) and “Someone to Watch Over Me” (1926).
Gershwin studied piano and composition and began his career as a song plugger – someone hired to sing/play new songs in department stores and other public venues to promote and sell new sheet music. Perhaps his most famous work was “Rhapsody in Blue” but he is also known for his ground breaking work in musical comedies such as Lady Be Good(1924), which features “Fascinating Rhythm,” Oh, Kay!(1926), Funny Face(1927), and Strike Up the Band(1927).Gershwin moved to Hollywood and composed numerous film scores. He died in 1937, only 38 years old, of a brain tumor.

ENSEMBLE – WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN – arr. Claire Summerbell

Quarter Notes Clarinet Choir – 

Keith Allen, Mark Boyer, Joe Kennedy, Chris Martin, Cristina Matias, Michael McKee, David Phillips, Leigh Sagendorf

DRACULA – Kelly Bennette

Sponsored by – Jamie Gunning LMFT / SoulCare Orlando LLC

“Dracula” is a captivating musical composition by Kelly Bennette that brings to life the timeless tale of the infamous vampire. Drawing inspiration from Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Bennette’s piece takes the audience on a journey through the dark and mysterious world of Dracula, exploring themes of love, obsession, and the supernatural.

Through evocative melodies and haunting harmonies, Bennette masterfully portrays the eerie atmosphere of Transylvania, the seductive allure of Dracula, and the suspenseful encounters between the vampire and his victims. The composition features a diverse array of instrumental textures, from ominous strings and menacing brass to ethereal woodwinds and chilling percussion, creating a rich sonic landscape that immerses the listener in the story’s chilling ambiance.

SPEECH – ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DR LINDSEY WILLIAMS

SHENANDOAH – Frank Tichelli  

Sponsored by – Michael Slaymaker 

The Shenandoah Valley and the Shenandoah River are located in Virginia. The origin of the name for this river and valley is obscure. The origins of the folk song are equally obscure, but all date to the 19th century. Many variants on the melody and text have been handed down through the years with the most popular telling the story of an early settler’s love for a Native American woman. The composer writes: In my setting of Shenandoah I was inspired by the freedom and beauty of the folk melody and by the natural images evoked by the words, especially the image of a river. I was less concerned with the sound of a rolling river than with its life-affirming energy — its timelessness. Sometimes the accompaniment flows quietly under the melody; other times it breathes alongside it. The work’s mood ranges from quiet reflection, through growing optimism, to profound exaltation.
– Program Note by Frank Ticheli

***COLOR GUARD PERFORMANCE***

“Make Me Feel” – Janelle Monáe

This funky R&B track was co-written by Janelle Monáe with Julia Michaels. The track finds the singer voicing her feelings for someone special.
“It’s a celebratory song,” Monáe explained to The Guardian. “I hope that comes across. That people feel more free, no matter where they are in their lives, that they feel celebrated. Because I’m about women’s empowerment. I’m about agency. I’m about being in control of your narrative and your body. That was personal for me to even talk about: to let people know you don’t own or control me and you will not use my image to defame or denounce other women.”

INTERMISSION

***PLEASE ENJOY OUR SILENT AUCTION***

ACT 2 – 

SIMPLE GIFTS – Frank Tichelli

Sponsored by –  LeRoy Costner, Attorney The Umansky Law Firm

The Shakers were a religious sect who splintered from a Quaker community in the mid-1700s in Manchester, England. They were pacifists who tended to keep a very low profile, and their membership increased only modestly during the decades following their arrival. At their peak in the 1830s, there were some 6,000 members in nineteen communities interspersed between Maine and Kentucky. Soon after the Civil War their membership declined dramatically. Their practice of intense simplicity and celibacy accounts for much of their decline.
The Shakers were known for their architecture, crafts, furniture, and perhaps most notably, their songs. Shaker songs were traditionally sung in unison without instrumental accompaniment. Singing and dancing were vital components of Shaker worship and everyday life. Over 8,000 songs in some 800 songbooks were created, most of them during the 1830s to 1860s in Shaker communities throughout New England.
Simple Gifts, is the final movement of a four-movement work “Four Shaker Songs”. It is the hymn that celebrates the Shaker’s love of simplicity and humility. This finale is a setting of the Shakers’ most famous song, Simple Gifts, sometimes attributed to Elder Joseph Bracket (1797-1882) of the Alfred, Maine, community, and also said (in Lebanon, New York, manuscript) as having been received from a Negro spirit at Canterbury, New Hampshire, making Simple Gifts possibly a visionary gift song. It has been used in hundreds of settings, most notably by Aaron Copland in the brilliant set of variations which conclude his Appalachian Spring. Without ever quoting him, my setting begins at Copland’s doorstep, and quickly departs. Throughout its little journey, the tune is never abandoned, rarely altered, always exalted.

SPEECH – ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DR LINDSEY WILLIAMS

DUM SPIRO SPERO – Chris Pilsner

Sponsored by –  Allison and Rob Cothran

Dum Spiro Spero takes its title from a Latin phrase meaning “While I breathe, I hope.” When I read that phrase for the first time, I was taken back by the incredible amount of power it held and immediately knew it would be the basis for a new piece. When I started writing, my goal was to write something as deeply emotional and human as the title was. The result was a series of simple melodies supported by some of the most colorful orchestration and harmonies I’ve ever written. From the lush opening, the gentle singing, and ultimately the triumphal climax, the human quality to the music is what I think gives Dum Spiro Spero a powerful sense of grace and splendor.

ENSEMBLE – “POR UNA CABEZA” (tango from “Scent of a Woman”) – Carlos Gardel, arr. Nick Keys

Bell Tones Brass Ensemble 

Laurie Arlegui (Euphonium), Juan Carlos Canasi (Tuba), Andrew Conger (Trumpet), Mike Dibler (Trumpet), Veruska Guerrero, Courtney Lovestrand (Horn)   

(not) ALONE – Randall D. Standridge

Sponsored by – Iris M Freespirit T

“To my love Kimberly”

The composer writes: Many who live with mental health conditions experience a profound sense of isolation. Discussing these issues and more so, identifying as someone who lives with them, has been extremely taboo in our society. Thus, many suffer in silence, facing their troubles with no support. But, as the title of the work implies, they are not alone. I live with depression and anxiety. I have tried to use my platform to normalize discussions about mental health and to help start conversations about this issue. Here are some statistics you may or may not be aware of:
● 1 in 5 of adults in the US experiences mental health issues each year.
● 1 in 6 youths in the US experiences mental health issues each year.
● 90% of suicides worldwide are attributable to mental illness.
● Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the United States.
With statistics like this, it is shocking and frustrating that so many people are reluctant to acknowledge, discuss, and address these issues. In 2021, I was asked to create a work for wind ensemble addressing mental illness. The resultant work, “unBroken”, is one of my favorite works I have ever created, both from an aesthetic and personal perspective. However, this work is very advanced (Grade 5), which limits its demographic for performers and, thus, audiences. Those of us that teach or have taught middle school and high school know that there is a need to address this issue at younger ages, and to make such tools available to middle schools and developing high school ensembles.
I decided to make this work a consortium, expecting there would be 20-30 schools that would support such a piece. 40 tops. The consortium included over 300 schools.
This is an issue whose time has come. The time is now. We need to talk about this, and we are going to talk about this. We are going to show them all that they are not alone.

About the work

The piece starts very softly, with both beauty and dissonance. The individual is aware that something is wrong but is trying to bravely persist. A soloist introduces the main theme of the work, a bittersweet melody that is lovely and vulnerable. As the first segment continues, dissonant elements and a three-note descending theme signals the onset of a mental health crisis.
The second segment is manic and violent. The individual struggles with their condition as everything seems to be in darkness. The piece builds to a thunderous moment before dying away into a cloud of confusion. Their heartbeat is heard racing and then slowing. The individual is broken.
The original theme sounds out again, unaccompanied, but others join in. The work rises to a triumphant climax, as a sense of solidarity is achieved. The work ends with the soloist again, but more confident and with others there for support.

CLAPPING SONG – Randall D. Standridge

Sponsored by – Jan Peery

What do you get when you mix symphonic motivic development, a touch of a country hoedown, and a hint of jazz, all tied together with clapping from the ensemble? You get the “The Clapping Song,” of course. This unique offering is as much fun to play(and hear!) as it is hard to describe.
If we do this right, you will be tapping their toes and clapping along before you know it!

SEASONS OF LOVE – Jonathan Larson, arr. Metzko

Sponsored by – Angel Gonzales and Todd James

“Seasons of Love” is a song from the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit Rent(1996). Written and composed by Jonathan Larson who died suddenly the night before the preview opening of the show. The song was originally intended to be performed to open Act 2, but the cast cost to perform it at the beginning of the show to pay their respects to the composer.
The song starts with an ostinato motif that provides the harmonic framework for the opening line “Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes” (the number of minutes in a common year). The lyrics ask what the proper way is to quantify the value of a year in human life, concluding in the chorus that the most effective means is to “measure in love”. Since four of the lead characters either have HIV or AIDS, the song is often associated with World AIDS Day and AIDS awareness month.
We encourage you to sing along and our conductor ask you to join us throughout our performance as we all strive to measure all of our lives in love and connections to one another.

LYRICS:
CHORUS

Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes Five hundred, twenty five thousand moments so dear Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes How do you measure, measure a year?
VERSE 1
In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles
In laughter, in strife
In five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes How do you measure a year in a life?
How about love? (3X)
Measuring love
Seasons of love (2X)
CHORUS
VERSE 2
In truths that she learned
Or in times that he cried
In bridges he burned
Or the way that she died
It’s time now to sing out
Although it’s not the end
To celebrate, remember a year in the life of a friend
Remember the love (3X) Measuring the seasons of love Seasons of love

2023-24 CFSOF PERFORMING MEMBERS

Artistic Director – Dr. Lindsey Williams

FLUTE.

Beth Ashcraft, Jason Clark, +Nicole Edwards (Alto, Piccolo), Ninabeth Frank, Emily Jones, Jamie Woods (Piccolo)

OBOE

Jamie Gunning, Shawn Harris

BASSOON

Mark Bennett

CLARINET

+Keith Allen, +Mark Boyer (Bass), Alexander Rivera-Charles, Allison Cothran, +∞Bruce Freeman, Joe Kennedy, +Chris Martin, Cristina Matias, +∞Mike McKee, David Phillips (Bass), +Leigh Sagendorf (Bass)

SAXOPHONE

Victoria Albert, Mercedes Da Silva (Baritone), *Calogero Fanara, Amy Miller

TRUMPET

+Rob Cothran, Andrew Conger, Danielle DeVoney, Michael Dibler, Dutch Leger, Logan Miller, Brandon Nelson, Brittany Purves, Eddy Santiago, Justin Vercher 

FRENCH HORN

Dale Allison, Matthew Cassel, +Courtney Lovestrand, Nicholas Pearson-Walsh

TROMBONE

McKenna Calabro, Megara Haire, Susan Johnson,

BARITONE

  +Laurie Arlegui, Anthony Parisi, Ricoh Smith

TUBA

∞Juan Carlos Canasi, Angie Brehm, Mark Ferreira

PERCUSSION

Alexis Bannaruk, Veruska Guerrero, Annilea Gunn, Lynn Howard, Trent Martino, David Phillips, Jordan Simeon, Drew (Lee) Woods

ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR

Trent Martino

PIANO

+∞Mike McKee

COLORGUARD

Jo Cassel, Alexander Rivera-Charles, +Bri Cipriani , Erin Dunn,+Tara Hegedus, Kenneth Hochdanner, Alexis Mac, Riss Moon, Caleb Newman, Valeria Nuber, Scarlett Powers, Karissa Quinn, Garrett Spurlin, Jose Torres, Chip Weatherman, Chris Whitsett

STAGE MANAGER

Blue Estrella

(*) = GUEST PERFORMER
(∞) =  FOUNDING MEMBER
(+) = CFSOF BOARD MEMBER

2023 -2024 CFSOF ENSEMBLE GROUPS

Quarter Notes Clarinet Choir – 

Keith Allen, Mark Boyer, Joe Kennedy, Chris Martin, Cristina Matias, Michael McKee, David Phillips, Leigh Sagendorf

High Flutin’ Flute Ensemble – 

Nicole Edwards, Ninabeth Frank

Bell Tones Brass Ensemble – 

Laurie Arlegui (Euphonium), Juan Carlos Canasi (Tuba), Andrew Conger (Trumpet), Mike Dibler (Trumpet), Veruska Guerrero, Courtney Lovestrand (Horn)   

DONORS AND SPONSORS:

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“Love is Universal” is funded in part by Orange County Gorvernment through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program.