ASU orchestras take to the road in March to perform with Phoenix Bach Choir and Ballet Arizona

March 15, 2002

WHAT: Handel’s Messiah

WHEN: 8 p.m., March 23 & 2 p.m., March 24 Download Full Image

WHERE: Trinity Cathedral, 100 W. Roosevelt St., Phoenix

TICKETS: $20-$15

INFORMATION: 602-253-2224

WHAT: Swan Lake

WHEN: 8 p.m., March 28-29 & 2 p.m., March 30-31

WHERE: Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix

TICKETS: $13-$37.50

INFORMATION: 602-381-1096

Two of the Herberger College School of Music’s orchestral ensembles – Chamber Orchestra and University Symphony Orchestra, both under the baton of director of orchestras Timothy Russell – are collaborating with two of the valley’s premiere arts groups, Ballet Arizona and the Phoenix Bach Choir, on March events.

Chamber Orchestra and the Phoenix Bach Choir will perform Handel’s Messiah in its entirety at two Lenten presentations March 23 and 24. All the soloists have strong ties to the School of Music – soprano Jennifer Nagy, mezzo-soprano Linda Childs, bass-baritone Steve Meredith are graduates of ASU, and tenor John Mauldin is a doctoral candidate in music.

The March 23 performance is at 8 p.m. in Trinity Cathedral, 100 West Roosevelt Street. ASU faculty and staff are offered a $5 discount per ticket for this performance only bringing the price to $15 per ticket. For discounted tickets, call (602) 253-2224. The March 24 performance is at 3 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 447 South Litchfield Park Road, Litchfield Park; call (623) 935-6384 for tickets.

Symphony Orchestra provides the music – Tchaikovsky’s vibrant and emotional score – for Ballet Arizona’s production of Swan Lake. This is the largest classical production ever produced by Ballet Arizona and is also the first time the company has staged a full-length version of Swan Lake

Performances are 8 p.m. March 29-30, and 2 p.m. March 30-31 at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix. ASU faculty, staff and students receive a special discount of 15 percent, with tickets ranging from $14.50 to $37.50. The only way to receive the ASU discount is to call the Ballet Arizona box office, 602- 381-1096.

Media Contact:
Mary Brennan
480-965-3587
mary.brennan@asu.edu

Fleming’s Farewell marks retirement of Sun Devil Marching Band director

March 18, 2002

WHAT: Band Concert featuring Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds

WHEN: 7:30 p.m., (Wednesday) April 24 Download Full Image

WHERE: Gammage Auditorium, 1200 South Forest Avenue, Tempe

TICKETS: Free admission, no tickets required; doors open at 7 p.m.

INFORMATION: 480-965-TUNE (8863)

Fleming's Farwell is Robert "Coach" Fleming's farewell appearance as associate director of bands at ASU. Known throughout the country for his long-time stint as director of the award-winning Sun Devil Marching Band, Fleming retires at the end of the semester.

The concert is April 24 (Wednesday) at 7:30 p.m. in Gammage Auditorium. Admission is free, no tickets are required. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Three of the bands in the Herberger College of Fine Arts School of Music take the Gammage stage during the concert - Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds.

Robert C. Fleming, professor of music, associate director of bands and director of the Sun Devil Marching Band at ASU. He also conducts Concert Band and the Sun Devil Basketball Pep Bands. Prior to his arrival at ASU in 1974, he was director of bands at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Tenn., for seven years. He has degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie-Mellon University and Southern Illinois University (Doctor of Philosophy in Secondary Education). His ASU Sun Devil Marching Band received the 1991 Sudler Trophy distinguishing it as one of the most outstanding marching band programs in the country.

In addition to his duties at ASU, Fleming is an active marching and concert band clinician, adjudicator and a member of numerous professional organizations. He served on the Board of Directors of the American Bandmasters Association from 1990 to 1993. He is past president of the PAC-10 Band Directors Association and past national president of the National Band Honorary Fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi. He currently continues to serve the fraternity as a member of the Board of Trustees. He is also on the Board of Directors for the John Phillip Sousa Foundation and serves as chairman of the Sudler Shield Committee. In 1989, Fleming was installed as an honorary member of Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Mu, the International Bandmasters Fraternity. In 1993, he received the Bohumil Makovsky Memorial Award to Outstanding College Band Directors from Kappa Kappa Psi and in September of 1994, he received the Professional Fraternity Association¹s 1994 Faculty Award of Excellence. In 1996, Fleming received the O.M. Hartsell Excellence in Teaching Award from the Arizona Music Educators Association and was appointed to the Board of Directors of the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Also in 1996, he was the conductor for the South Dakota and Colorado All State Bands. In November 2000, Fleming received the Distinguished Service to Music Medal from Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity.

Media Contact:
Mary Brennan
480-965-3587
mary.brennan@asu.edu