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Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
The fifth annual “Concert for America” is scheduled Sunday at First United Methodist Church of Bryant, 508 N. Reynolds Road.
Cliff Jones, the church’s minister of music, invited area residents to “put on your red, white and blue” and join the church members as they celebrate the country’s independence in this pre-4th of July event.
The performance will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the church’s family life center and will be followed by an old-fashioned ice cream social.
Jones said the presentation will open with an instrumental work, “A God and Country Medley for Handbell Choir and Keyboard Strings,” which includes “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “This Is My Country” and “God of the Ages.”
The concert also will feature the host church’s Chancel Choir, under the direction of Jones, and will feature the Pine Bluff Community Band under the direction of Jerry Williams, twin brother of Terry Williams, a member of the Bryant congregation. Jerry Williams is a former director of the Benton High School band program.
The choir will present “Sweet Freedom’s Song,” a patriotic musical, Jones said.
“What a way to celebrate our heritage, whether for the Fourth of July holiday or any occasion that calls for focusing our hearts on God and his many blessings to all of us,” he noted.
Selections included in the musical are “This Is My Country,” “Long May You Stand,” “Sweet Freedom’s Song,” “In God We Trust” and others.
Numbers to be presented by the Pine Bluff band will include “El Capitan,” the familiar march by John Philip Sousa; “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” composed by George M. Cohan and arranged for concert band by Harold L. Walters; “Duty, Honor, Country” by Harold L. Walters with narration by the band’s master of ceremonies, Bill West; and “March of the Christian Patriots Honor.” The arrangement includes “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Onward, Christian Soldiers” and “God Bless America.”
Audience members will be invited to sing along on “God Bless America.”
Also included in the band program will be “God Bless The U.S.A.” arranged by Roger Holmes, and “The Carnival of Venice” composed by Julius Benedict and arranged by Jean-Baptiste Arban and adapted for concert band by Johnnie Vinson.
Featured soloist with the band will be Dr. Richard Bailey.
Other selections in the program will be “ABBA on Broadway” arranged by Michael Brown, and “I Have A Dream,” “Mamma Mia,”, “S.O.S.,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “Dancing Queen” and
“Classic Duke” (Ellington) arranged by Luther Henderson. The Duke medley includes “Cotton Tail,” “Sophisticated Lady” and “It don’t Mean A Thing.”
A tradition for patriotic concerts is Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and this most famous composition of the march king will be included in Sunday’s event.
The Wesleyan Sunday School Class of the church is in charge of decorations for the event and will serve as hosts for the ice cream social.
There will be no admission charge for the celebration, Jones said, but containers will be placed on the tables in which donations will be accepted to help defray expenses of the event.
The Pine Bluff Community Band joins the church for this event every year at its own expense, he pointed out.
A portion of the donations collected at the concert will be given to the band and the remainder will be used defray other costs.
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