The Trumpets Did Resound – Joy To The Valley
ARCA Pittsburgh Symphony Brass Concert Memorial Church of our Father, Foxburg, PA. Saturday Dec 15th 2012
A new holiday tradition has been established in Foxburg with the return performance of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble at the beautiful and historic Episcopal Memorial Church of Our Father.
On Saturday December 15th The Pittsburgh Symphony Brass players provided a marvelous mix of sacred and festive music and the sound of trumpets and horns resounded over the Allegheny River valley filling the air with a warm holiday glow.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
The Pittsburgh Symphony Brass was organized in 1994 by George Vosburgh to feature some of the world’s finest orchestral brass musicians playing in a chamber ensemble. With all the players, members of the Pittsburgh Symphony, the result has been, according to the American Record Guide in reference to their first CD as, “Magnificent, an extended example of first rate playing, with beautiful tone qualities, impeccable intonation, and polished execution.”
The ensembles second release, A Christmas Concert, was described by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as “Holiday cheer delivered with virtuoso flair”. After a concert for the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society the Pittsburgh Tribune- reported “Full of brilliance and power, but also stunning in subtle artistic qualities made possible only by masterful control. Three of their recent CD’s are created around Christmas themes. Both The Spirit of Christmas and A Song of Christmas again received great reviews and all their recordings can be found on i-Tunes. The ensemble includes George Vosburgh and Neal Berntsen on trumpet, William Caballero, horn, Peter Sullivan, trombone, Murray Crewe, bass trombone, Craig Knox on tuba. They have performed in Italy, Canada, the United States and now again in Foxburg.
ABOUT THE CHURCH
The church was built and dedicated in 1882 and is a wonderful vaulted wood and stone structure now nearly one hundred and thirty years old. It was given to the Foxburg community by the Fox family, in loving memory of deceased members of their family including Sarah Lindley Fox who was only twenty-six. The church building has gained national recognition as one of the finest examples of architectural design in the region, with its incorporation of native ash wood and sandstone from Pennsylvania and Ohio. It is reported that Mrs. Samuel M. Fox sketched the lines of the church from memory of a church she saw in England. The wooden ceiling is shaped like a nave of a ship with curved rafters descending down to the stone walls. The beautiful stained glass windows created in this country were replicated from the windows in the church in England.
END OF SEASON
This was the final performance of the ARCA 2012 season and it was a special way to amplify the joy and warmth of the holidays. The ARCA Board of Directors wishes ARCA members and friends a joyful and blessed Holiday Season and a special Thank You for your generous support and attendance throughout the year.
We also wish to thank Barbara Bott and Robert Jennings as ARCA Guarantor members for their contribution and sponsorship of this concert as part of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Players Concert Series. After the concert a wonderful reception was held at The Red Brick Gallery, on Main Street in downtown Foxburg.
The Red Brick Gallery is the artistan cooperative supported by ARCA and currently is filled with many lovely and unique pieces created by the Gallery Artists for their annual Christmas show. The Gallery is open this final week end before Christmas Friday 4 PM to 8 PM, Saturday Noon to 8 PM, Sunday Noon to 6 PM. All are invited to stop by the Gallery and it is hoped one will find that special gift for that special someone. Happy Holidays!