Eph-Palooza IV

Tom Bergeron, Steven Dennis Bodner, Ernest Brown, Matthew Gold, Andy Jaffe, Ronald Feldman, and Brad Wells, directors

The fourth annual Family Days extravaganza features more than a hundred student musicians in seven ensembles including Brass Ensemble, Concert and Chamber Choirs, Jazz Ensemble, Opus Zero Band, Percussion Ensemble, Zambezi Marimba Band, Berkshire Symphony, and Symphonic Winds.
The Williams College Department of Music presents the annual Family Days Extravaganza on Friday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m. in Chapin Hall on the Williams College campus. This free event is open to the public and features ten different Williams Music Department ensembles: Brass Ensemble, Concert and Chamber Choirs, Jazz Ensemble, Opus Zero Band, Handbell Choir, Berkshire Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, Symphonic Winds, and the Zambezi Marimba Band.

If a concert was a book laying bare the dreams and ambitions of the musicians and composers, the annual Eph-Palooza at Williams College would be a revealing collection of short stories in which each author has just a little time to pack a lot of punch. For those who wish to sample the best of what is available and have a foretaste of all there is yet to come, Eph-Palooza is the concert. All in one evening, listeners can sample from a wide range of what they have to look forward to during the coming year: dozens of concerts of breath-taking breadth and variety, all presented in wonderful concert spaces, free of charge. This also provides the perfect chance to become familiar with the people who make it all happen: an outstanding music faculty, artists-in-residence, music students and a new crop of talented young musicians.

This is not some staid student recital: Eph-Palooza celebrates vital and progressive programming, involving over one hundred student musicians. Chapin Hall is the vessel in which the secret sauce that makes music at Williams so special is cooked up and served. Eph-Palooza typically resounds from all corners of this majestic space.

The Brass Ensemble led by Thomas Bergeron gathers brass players from various ensembles to explore a musical genre both rich in history and unique in presentation. The Brass Ensemble’s music does often literally come from on high, and Chapin Hall offers the group myriad opportunity to delight an audience.

The always surprising and evocative Zambezi Marimba Band performs music inspired by music that traces its roots all the way back to Africa. A modern heir to the oral traditions of many cultures, the band, led by Ernest Brown, provides excitement whenever it plays.

This year’s Eph-Palooza also provides a taste of what the Berkshire Symphony, conducted by Ronald Feldman, is all about. Performing a movement from Symphony No. 82 “The Bear”, by Joseph Haydn, this unique symphony orchestra is but one facet of high quality of performance at Williams.

The Concert and Chamber Choirs are led by Brad Wells, whose restless interest in vocal music and vocal techniques reaches out across borders and styles. Regardless of whether these vocal groups tease our ears while incorporating vocal techniques inspired by distant lands, or if they present more familiar western fare, the effect is inevitably magical.

The Williams Jazz Ensemble led by celebrated composer and arranger Andy Jaffe gives us the chance to experience the amazing depth and talent of jazz makers in big band and small ensemble settings. Student compositions as well as works by greats like J.J. Johnson and Cedar Walton are sure to please.

Led by Matthew Gold, The Williams Percussion Ensemble does not observe standard boundaries. If something can be hit, Mr. Gold and his group take a swing, often with striking results: much more than some humdrum corps of head-whackers, the group allows any number of items to make their way onto the Chapin stage for a typical performance: saw blades, 2x4s and pipes supplement the battery of more familiar percussion. This concert features a piece written in 2006 by Eric Moe: I Have Only One Itching Desire. Who would not want to experience that?

The grouping called Symphonic Winds blows the dust off of the traditional symphonic style wind ensemble. Led by student conductor Chaz Lee ’11, they will present a compelling piece by Armando Bayolo: Fanfares (2004). A hybrid grouping of this ensemble called The Opus Zero Band joined by the Handbell Choir and led by Steven Dennis Bodner premiers a new piece by Brian Simalchik ’10: Like a Man (2010).

One of the most lively and interesting live performances of the year, this collection of musical short stories presents the people who infuse life into the local music scene. It is a must-see, must-hear event, which offers something for everyone.

Event Program