GREENFIELD — Monterey County Pops!, the area’s only provider of free-to-the-public professional concerts, is proud to present Greenfield with its 20-member fully professional Wind Ensemble, conducted and hosted by Music Director Dr. Carl Christensen, in a program of light classics, marches, movie music and traditional music from Mexico.
The free family concert will take place Friday, Dec. 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the gym of Vista Verde Middle School, 1199 Elm Ave. in Greenfield. No tickets are required. Doors open at 6 p.m.
The professional musicians of the Monterey County Pops! will be in residence at Vista Verde School in the afternoon rehearsing with the students and conducting instrument demonstrations and workshops.
A special feature of the concert will be the performance of the traditional favorites from Oaxaca: Dios Nunca Muere, Canción Mixteca and Sones de Pinotepa Nacional.
Featured guest performers on the program include instrumental students from Cesar Chavez and Vista Verde Schools (Janice Hurlburt and Matt Huot, directors), vocal students from Oak Avenue School (David Post, director), the Ballet Folklórico Tapatío from King City (Verenice Amezcua, director), the Palenke Arts Chorus from Seaside (Juan Sánchez, director), dance soloist Lesley Amezcua and xylophone soloist Beverly Reese Dorcy.
All of these guest performers will be accompanied by the Monterey County Pops! Wind Ensemble.
The program will include a medley of highlights from the movie “Frozen,” “Light Cavalry Overture” by von Suppé, and “Lord of the Dance” by Hardiman.
The Greenfield Instrumental Students will perform “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven and the “Main Theme” from the New World Symphony. Vocal students will present “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder.
The Palenke Arts Chorus will interpret “Muros y Puertas” by Carlos Varela and “The Greatest” by Sia and Kendrick Lamar.
Amezcua will perform to Vuela Paloma and the Ballet Folklórico Tapatío will interpret La Culebra and El Jarabe Tapatío.
A very special treat on the program will be a performance on the xylophone by long-time Monterey County Pops! timpanist Beverly Reese Dorcy of The Golden Age of the Xylophone. The instrument enjoyed a surge of popularity in America during the early 1900s as it was well suited to the percussive and lively music of the era. Dorcy, a Minnesota native, is an active freelance timpanist and percussionist in both the San Diego and San Francisco Bay areas. She is in her 18th year with the Monterey County Pops!
This and other free Pops performances are made possible by generous donations, sponsorships and foundation grants.
