A free concert of American and English music classical, jazz, swing and contemporary - by a much praised 66 piece American student orchestra
On Wednesday 16th May, one of California’s leading student orchestras is giving a free concert of American and European music in the Wesley Memorial Church, Oxford, with donations going to the church’s Open Doors project.
The Westmont College Orchestra leaves a lasting impression wherever it goes. Its 66 members are all students, aged between 18 and 21 years old, studying a wide range of academic subjects. But they meet up regularly to follow their passion, which is for playing music in every style, particularly light classical, jazz and tunes from the musicals, as well as commissioning new works.
The concert, called The Three Rhapsodies, will feature music from both sides of the Atlantic. The exciting and highly varied programme includes Charles Villiers Stanford’s Irish Rhapsody No 1, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Norfolk Rhapsody No 1 and Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, as well as selections from Elmer Bernstein’s score to The Magnificent Seven and Ronan Hardiman’s Lord of the Dance, written for Michael Flatley’s Riverdance shows.
Entry to the concert is free. There will be a retiring collection at the end in aid of the Church’s Open Doors redevelopment project.