Musical holidays ahead in Aberdeen

  • 2022-10-20
An upcoming concert will bring in the holidays in style, courtesy of the Grays Harbor Symphony, and Duke Ellington.

The orchestra is presenting its concert, “Ellington for the Holidays,” at the Bishop Center for Performing Arts in Aberdeen, with Dr. William Dyer on the podium. The orchestra will play “Passacaglia and Fugue” by Bach, Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” as adapted by the jazz great Duke Ellington, and “Xylophonia” by Joe Green, which will be played by percussionist James Doyle.

“Passacaglia and Fugue” is a piece for organ that Bach is thought to have composed between 1706 and 1713.

Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” ballet is one of his most popular works, featuring segments such as the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and the “Arabian Dance,” and is often performed at the holidays. Duke Ellington has taken the classical work and created a jazz version. The original features a European family celebrating Christmas, while the Ellington version is set in Harlem in 1943. A black family is celebrating the holiday while World War II rages and they deal with such themes as Jim Crow laws, police brutality, and economic and social inequality.

“Xylophonia” was composed in the 1920s and is a light piece for xylophone, accompanied by a whistle and duck call.

The concert is set for November 20 at 7:00 pm. When events like these are planned, organizers, can create excitement by using poster printing to create advertising.