POSTPONED: Community Concert on November 3, 2009

Please note: The Joan Mantle Music Trust Community Concert scheduled for Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 has been postponed. The concert will be rescheduled at a later date.

This year’s recipients of new instruments from the Joan Mantle Music Trust will come together to perform a community concert on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. Featuring bands from Lockerby Composite School, Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School and MacLeod Public School, the concert will take place at 7 pm at the McKellar Auditorium at Lockerby Composite School, 1391 Ramsey View Court, Sudbury.

“This is our way of saying thanks to the community for its generous contributions to the Joan Mantle Music Trust,” said Rainbow District School Board Arts Education Co-ordinator Ralph McIntosh. “It is also an opportunity for us to raise money for the Trust so schools can continue to benefit from the purchase of new instruments for students in Rainbow Schools.”

Admission to the concert is $5 for students, $10 for adults and $20 for families. Tickets are available at the participating schools. Lockerby Composite School will host a bake sale in the school lobby the evening of the concert. Those who attend will also have an opportunity to make a donation to the Joan Mantle Music Trust.

Lo-Ellen Park Senior Concert Band under the direction of Sandra McMillan
Lo-Ellen Park Senior Jazz Band under the direction of Marc Taillefer

The Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School bands will be playing a variety of music from original Jazz Band charts such as White Heat, a programmatic work depicting a river’s journey across the landscape and a medley of the music from the famous movie and Broadway production – Chicago! Both bands are made up of students in Grades 10, 11 and 12.

Lo-Ellen Park bands have competed with great success, earning Bronze, Silver and Gold awards at local festivals and beyond, including New York, Ottawa, and Montreal.  Students are currently preparing to travel to Chicago in the spring to compete at the Heritage Music Festival.

MacLeod Public School Band
under the direction of Jack Broumpton

This group is made up of 26 students in Grades 6 to 8. This band continues to garner accolades and carry on the proud MacLeod tradition of music making with Gold and Silver awards at last year’s Kiwanis, Northern Ontario Music Festival and Music Fest National competition. MacLeod Public School’s music program includes the Mustang World drum ensemble, jazz band, percussion ensemble, and Junior and Senior Concert Bands. The band will perform three pieces, including the exciting march “Centurion”.

The Lockerby Composite School Viking Five Combo,
Jazz Band and Senior Concert Band under the direction of Mike Jensen

The Viking Five Combo is a group that started up in July in preparation for their audition for the Sudbury Jazz Festival talent search.  The group was chosen to be in the final four and played to a large crowd on the grounds of Science North on a state of the art stage.  The group will play a song entitled "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy".

The Lockerby Jazz Band is made of students from Grade 9 to 12.  Last year, the group received a Silver award at the Northern Ontario Music Festival.  The group will play "Hot Streak" by Ralph Gingerly.

The Concert Band, who last year at the Cleveland Festival in the Parks received a rating of Superior, is made up of students from Grade 10 to 12.  This group will play two numbers beginning with “The Final Countdown” and ending with “Heartland Overture”. 

At the end of the concert, all bands will join together in a performance of “Genesis”.

The Joan Mantle Music Trust was established last fall to help refresh, modernize and revitalize school music programs in the Rainbow District School Board. It is the goal of the trust, with the generosity of the community, to replace, where necessary, musical instruments that have given such great pleasure beyond their serviceable life.

The Joan Mantle Music Trust allocates funds to school music programs in Rainbow District School Board, one school at a time.  This ensures that there is a tangible improvement in the condition of equipment in an entire department, allowing for students to achieve more in their musical studies together.

Joan Mantle dedicated many years to music education in Rainbow Schools. She passed away on June 9, 2009, after a courageous battle with cancer.

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Media Contact:

Ralph McIntosh, Arts Education Coordinator,
Rainbow District School Board, 705.674.7551, ext. 6850