The Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra and Cascade Clarinet Consort, under the direction of Dr. Rhett Bender, will present Fast and Furious, the Vaudeville music of the Brown Brothers on Monday, March 5th at 7:30 PM at the SOU Music Recital Hall. Special guests will be the SOU Flute Choir in its premiere performance. Audience members are invited to a cake reception following the concert.
The six Brown Brothers started the American craze for the saxophone. Led by Tom Brown from 1903 to 1933, the Canadian family was a favorite act on the vaudeville circuit. By 1921, the Brown Brothers had become the highest paid musical act in the United States. Their popularity and the fantastic saxophone craze was an important contribution to the beginning of the American jazz era. In addition to Fast and Furious, the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra will play many vaudeville tunes such as Laf’n Sax and The Silver Strand Waltz. Also featured will be music of Hungarian composer Ferenc and favorites by Bach and Mozart performed by the Clarinet Consort.
The Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra (SSO) and Cascade Clarinet Consort (CCC) are collaborative learning environments for students, faculty, and staff at Southern Oregon University. Under the direction of Rhett Bender, Professor of Music at SOU, the SSO and CCC arrange, compose and commission music of all styles and musical periods. In January the SSO performed in Eugene at the Holt Center, and over the past ten years, ensembles led by Dr. Bender have concertized in Mexico, Slovenia and four tours in China. This summer members of the SSO will be featured performers at St. Andrews in Scotland and at the Winchester Festival in England, as well as the OSF Greenshow.
Tickets for this performance are only $5 for general admission and free for students. Tickets and season passes may be purchased by calling 541-552-6101 or at the Music Box Office prior to the performance. For more information, please visit Southern Oregon University’s Department website at www.sou.edu/music.
Press release courtesy of the Southern Oregon University Music Dept.
