Oberlin College Community Winds Presents A Copland Tribute Concert Nov. 30 By Charity Johnson ('99)
			This year marks the 100th anniversary of Aaron Copland's birth. To honor his centenary, the Oberlin College Community Winds will present a free, public concert featuring some of his works on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 8 P.M. in Finney Chapel. Featured will be Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man; Down a Country Lane, conducted by music education major John Blickwedehl, '01; An Outdoor Overture; Variations on a Shaker Melody; and Lincoln Portrait, narrated by Herbert Henke, emeritus professor of eurhythmics at the Conservatory. John Knight, professor of music education and director of the conducting and ensembles division, conducts the 75-member ensemble, which includes students from the Conservatory and the College, and members of the Oberlin community. "Aaron Copland is the dean of musical Americana," says Knight. "His music captures the spirit of America much like the poetry of Carl Sandburg or Walt Whitman." Knight describes the selections for this concert as "having always been concert favorites with audiences, because of Copland's use of nostalgic American folk tunes, warm expressive melodies, brilliant orchestrations, and exciting rhythms." The program will also include Johannes Brahms's Blessed are They from A German Requiem; Frank Bencrisciutto's Symphonic Jazz Suite, featuring Conservatory students Kelly Roberge, '01, alto sax, and Michael Reavey, '02, trumpet; and Mikhail Glinka's Russlan and Ludmilla Overture.
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