How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice! And that’s exactly what everyone in the Caltech-Occidental Concert Band has been doing. On Saturday, May 24, about 60 musicians, including Caltech and Occidental College students, Caltech faculty and staff, JPL employees, and members of the local community, will perform at Carnegie Hall. “We are extremely excited about this,” says senior physics major and clarinetist Lauren Porter, who has been integral to organizing the trip. “It’s a huge opportunity for us, and the culmination of a lot of hard work.”

Band director and artist-in-residence William Bing, a professional trumpet player, has performed at such venues as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Disney Concert Hall, but this will be his first apperance at Carnegie Hall. He handpicked the concert’s pieces to fit the venue. For instance, “Chorale and Alleluia,” by Howard Hanson, was chosen because it suits the renowned acoustics of the hall. “A Prairie Hymn,” by Joseph Curiale, on the other hand, was chosen for its “meditative quality, and it’s a contrast to the other pieces, which are much louder,” according to Bing.

Paul Asimow, associate professor of geology and geochemistry at Caltech, will be conducting “Be Glad Then, America,” by William Schuman, which Asimow has known since playing as a student at Harvard. Asimow says the piece treats the timpani as melody makers, not rhythm instruments. “Our timpanist, Scott Babcock, is one of the few professional members of the band, and I am happy to give him this opportunity.”

Also featured is vocal soloist Kjerstin Williams (BS ’00, MS ’02, PhD ’06), on George and Ira Gershwins’ “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Williams has been a trombonist with the Caltech jazz and concert bands since her freshman year, but singing brings her an indescribable thrill. “To sing with a wall of music behind you, there’s nothing quite like it,” she says. “Karaoke doesn’t even begin to touch it.”

If you live near the Big Apple and would like to catch the show, visit http://www.carnegiehall.org or call 212-247-7800 for tickets. —JS