Workshop participants and competition winners will perform June 19 at 6:45 p.m.
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On Wednesday, June 19, the Kokomo Park Band will present its annual “Spotlight on Youth” concert, directed by guest conductor Dr. Ishbah Cox, Director of Wind Ensembles at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
Cone Palace is sponsor of the free concert which will showcase participants of the Youth Multicultural Rhythm Workshop led by percussionist Art Reiner. Also featured is clarinetist Maximus Bruner, winner of the 2024 KPB Collegiate Solo Competition.
In observance of the Juneteenth holiday, the concert will highlight several works of Black composers including a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen. Activities begin with a demonstration by the workshop participants at 6:45 p.m. followed by the concert at 7:30 p.m. in Highland Park. In the event of rain, the event will be moved to Kokomo High School’s auditorium.
This program is part of the weekly KPB Summer Concert Series hosted by the Kokomo Parks Department with support from the Allen Whitehill Clowes Foundation, Center Township, Community Foundation of Howard County, and The Arts Federation in cooperation with the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Dr. Ishbah Cox brings more than 20 years of experience leading bands in both universities and public schools to his current role as Director of Wind Ensembles at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to this, Dr. Cox honed his craft as Associate Professor of Bands at Purdue University and Director of Bands at Olentangy Orange High School (OH).
His impressive academic background includes degrees from Auburn, Alabama, and Ball State universities. Cox is an accomplished euphonium player and a past player in the KPB. He is making his second appearance as KPB guest conductor, the first being in June of 2014.
Dr. Cox's talents extend far beyond conducting. He's a highly sought-after arranger, creating pieces for the prestigious publisher Hal Leonard and numerous high schools and universities across the country.
His impressive client list includes marching bands from Purdue, Penn State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. He's even pushed boundaries by collaborating with popular artists like Papa Roach and the Huntertones, adapting their music for combined performances with marching bands. Dr. Cox's dedication extends beyond his own ensembles, as he actively participates in more than five professional organizations and holds honorary memberships, demonstrating his continued impact on the music world.
Clarinetist Maximus Bruner is the 2024 winner of the KPB Collegiate Solo Competition. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Clarinet Performance, studying with Kylie Stultz-Dessent at Purdue Fort Wayne. He enjoys studying classical repertoire, different styles of jazz, and other genres of music to widen the reach of his musical skillset.
Max has performed as a clarinet soloist with PFW's orchestra, PFW's jazz ensemble, the Indiana Music Education Association Conference, the International Clarinet Association's Clar-eidoscope Virtual Conference, the PFW Wind Ensemble’s 2023 European Tour and has held principal positions in the PFW Wind Ensemble, PFW Orchestra, and the IMEA Intercollegiate Band. Max intends on pursuing a Master’s of Music in Clarinet Performance after his time at PFW.
He will perform “Clarinet Concerto” by ‘40s big band leader Artie Shaw. Unlike the typical concerto, this piece includes boogie-woogie blues, clarinet-over-tom-tom interludes, along with virtuoso cadenzas and a "legendary" altissimo C at the end. Shaw and his orchestra performed the piece in the 1940 Fred Astaire film, “Second Chorus,” He was a pioneer in hiring Black musicians into his bands: Benny Carter, bassist Billy Taylor, and Red Allen, among many others. One of his most daring attempts to integrate his band was hiring singer Billie Holiday.
The 29th Annual Multicultural Youth Rhythm Workshop is an activity sponsored by the Kokomo Park Band and has been under the direction of Art Reiner since its inception. The classes are held over three days at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library and the Center Township Community Center. The library graciously handles the promotion and scheduling for the event.
Participants will perform on their own prior to the concert and will also join the band in the selection “Under the Sea.” Reiner is an active professional musician and percussion instructor. He was a music clinician with Young Audiences of Indiana for more than 20 years. The Youth Multicultural Rhythm Ensemble will perform John Moss’s arrangement of “Under the Sea” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
The concert opens with a tribute to music educators, Alfred Reed’s “Music Makers.” It is a light-hearted and tuneful melody based on the poem that contains the phrase: “We are the Music Makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.”
“Red Tails,” by Ayatey Shabazz, draws its inspiration from the historical Army Air Corps program “Tuskegee Experience,” which, overcoming prejudice and segregation, pioneered the way of integrating the U.S. military.
The work illustrates the conflict of battle alongside the perseverance and fortitude demonstrated by the Tuskegee Airmen who are honored by the recently dedicated mural in downtown Kokomo and a traveling exhibit currently on display at the Grissom Air Museum.
“Big City Lights” is a wind band piece by African American composer, Marie A. Douglas that's inspired by the hip-hop subgenre "Trap Music" from her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. The atonal piece uses electronic and acoustic techniques to create textures, rhythms, and harmonic content that aren't typically found in wind bands. The piece also aims to give the audience and performers a glimpse into the life of an Atlanta resident.
“Juba Dance” is by Florence Price, noted as the first African American female composer of symphonic works, and is only in recent years beginning to receive the recognition so richly deserved. The selection is from her Symphony No. 1, completed in 1932 and first performed in 1933 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Other selections include “Overture in B Flat” by Caesar Giovannini, “Scarborough Fair” by Robert W. Smith, and “Pop and Rock Legends: Stevie Wonder” arranged by John Wasson, including “Sir Duke,” “I Wish,” “Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing,” “Superstition,” and “Isn't She Lovely”
The majority of the band's funding depends on donations from individuals. Contributions should be sent to Kokomo Park Band; PO Box 6039; Kokomo, IN 46904-6039. More information can be found on Facebook and on the band's website www.kokomoparkband.org.