Award-Winning Percussionist to Join Ridge Band Concert For Public

2012 “Pops” concert for the public on Tuesday night will feature four of the high school's bands at a performance to include professional marimba and percussion artist Greg Giannascoli. Admission is free to the musical event, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the school's Performing Arts Center at 268 S. Finley Ave. in Basking Ridge.

"I like to bring in guest artists to work with the band so my students can get a chance to experience musicians of the finest quality," said Dan Zugale, director of Ridge High bands. "I like to think of our concerts as community events and this is a great way to bring a little more interest to the band program.”

The high school's wind and percussion ensembles are scheduled to perform a variety of pieces, as will the student jazz and concert bands. The eighth grade band also will join the wind ensemble.

Giannascoli will perform two well known works with the Ridge Wind Ensemble that have been transcribed for marimba and wind ensemble, said an announcement by the band's publicist, Don Grossmann. "Rhapsody in Blue" is a classic Gershwin piano showpiece that will feature the marimba. "Flight of the Bumblebee" is the quintessential instrumental solo arranged for marimba that will end the concert with a flourish.

Giannascoli was a winner of the 2001 Artist International New York Recital and Young Artist Competition and was also a top prizewinner of the 1997 Patrons of Wisdom International Young Artist Competition held in Toronto, Canada, according to the announcement. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals throughout North America, Europe and Asia, including Carnegie Hall, Theatro Juarez in Mexico and the Glenn Gould Studio in Canada. In the past few years, he has premiered over 20 new works for the marimba.

To see a video of Giannascoli performing Bach on marimba, click here.

"Through this experience, the students will hopefully learn what it takes to become a true musical artist," Zugale said. "It also serves as motivation for my students to work hard. Playing behind a soloist is a special challenge and in order for it to be successful, the students have to really know their part and how they fit in with the rest of the ensemble."

Giannascoli is a faculty member at the Julliard Pre-College and is also the coordinator of the percussion department at New Jersey City University, the announcement said. He has presented master classes at some top music schools, including the Julliard School and The Manhattan School of Music. His fifth solo CD, "Prism Rhapsody: Show Pieces and Encores," was released in November 2011, the announcement said.

Along with the school wind ensemble's opening pieces with Giannascoli, other Ridge High band to perform at the concert will include:

The percussion ensemble, led by Joe Keefe, will perform "Stormbreak," by Jim Casella; and "Rainforest Journey," by Charlie Sivils.

The jazz band will perform two works, "Funkathustra," a funk version of Strauss’ "Also Sprach Zarathustra," widely recognized as the opening theme for the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey;" and "Sister Sadie," an up-tempo swing arrangement of the classic Horace Silver tune.

The concert band then will perform "A Disneyland Celebration," featuring familiar music from the theme park.

The wind ensemble will follow with "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End," along with the William Annin eighth grade band, and the concert will conclude with the two works featuring guest soloist Giannascoli.

"Classical New Jersey," in reviewing Giannascoli’s performances, said that, "here is music played so well it would capture and hold anybody’s attention indefinitely," the announcement said.