Staff Reports
GREENFIELD — The Brandywine Wind will open its ninth season at 7 p.m. Friday at the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts.
The concert, called “A Real Man’s Concert,” was the brainchild of guest conductor Gary Davis.
“The idea came to me as I was listening to the music of James Bond and some western themes,” Davis said.
Pieces played will indeed include a medley of James Bond themes and some superhero music such as “The Captain America March,” composed by Alan Silvestri.
The concert will include “The American Symphony” from the movie, “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” and the compositions of Leroy Anderson, best known for “The Syncopated Clock,” “Sleigh Ride” and “The Typewriter.”
The Brandywine Wind’s nine-year history began in 2006 with a handful of local musicians who simply wanted to get together and make music.
Davis said the Brandywine Wind reaches out to what he likes to call “the comeback player.” Many young people participate in band during their middle school and high school days, building years of memories and camaraderie.
But for many, all that is later lost as only a handful of these teenage musicians continue with music into college and beyond. A group like the Brandywine Wind, Davis said, rekindles the joy of making music “as soon as that old instrument case is opened to the smell of valve oil and seasoned brass as an old friend — your instrument — seems to fit within your hands just the way it did back in the day.”
Davis, who plays French horn, has been with the group for six years. He said the group’s 45 to 50 members are made up of high school-aged musicians through “those of us who have more life experience.”
Davis will be conducting for the first time Friday. He has occasionally conducted during rehearsals, but this will be his first time conducting an actual performance.
And he knows the task ahead.
“The conductor’s job is to keep everyone together and adjust the sound as the show goes on,” he said.
Friday’s show will be at the Ricks, 122 W. Main St. in Greenfield.
Davis said he enjoys the venue.
“The theater is a cozy place for a concert,” Davis said. “It has great sound and ambiance.”
The Brandywine Wind is always looking for new members. The group rehearses Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. at Trinity Park United Methodist Church, 207 W. Park Ave. in Greenfield.
Anyone who wants to play may contact Davis at 317-440-0834. The Brandywine Wind generally puts on four concerts a year plus a patriotic-themed concert the last Saturday in June at Riley Park.
Tickets for “A Real Man’s Concert” are available at the door prior to the show for $5. For more information about the upcoming concert or to be put on the group’s monthly mailing list, email [email protected].
