Cal Poly Festival Showcase: The Cal Poly Bands on April 25

Two Cal Poly music ensembles, featuring more than 90 of the university’s finest student musicians, will perform a special concert at 8 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the Performing Arts Center’s Harman Hall.

The concert is part of the 21st annual Cal Poly All-State Music Festival and will feature the University Jazz Band I and the Cal Poly Wind Ensemble.

The University Jazz Band I, directed by Paul Rinzler, will perform a variety of favorites, including “Hit the Ground Running,” by Gordon Goodwin, considered one of the most popular and respected big-band composers; and “Grass is Greener,” a big-band composition that features a hip-hop beat, a psychedelic guitar solo, and more.

The Wind Ensemble, conducted by Andrew McMahan, will perform Julie Giroux’s programmatic work “La Mezquita de Córdoba,” “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from the opera “Lohengrin” by Richard Wagner, and “With Heart and Voice” by David Gillingham.

 The Cal Poly All-State Music Festival also includes a concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 27, with some of the state's finest high school students directed by guest conductors.

Tickets to the concert are $12 and $14 for the public and $9 and $12 for senior citizens and students. Pricing includes all Performing Arts Center fees, and event parking is sponsored by the PAC. Tickets are sold at the Performing Arts Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. To order by phone, call SLO-4TIX (756-4849). 

The Music Department offers a 10 percent discount to patrons who buy season tickets to four of its events through the Performing Arts Ticket Office; a 15 percent discount is given on tickets to five or more events.

The concert is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Music Department, College of Liberal Arts, and Instructionally Related Activities program. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-756-2406.