The Victor E. Ferrall, Jr. Endowed Artist-in-Residence Program was inaugurated in 2001 to honor the college’s ninth president. The program brings a performing or visual artist to Beloit to teach, direct workshops and perform or exhibit his or her works.

For more information on this and other events at the college, visit www.beloit.edu.

Events will be free and open to the campus and community. Details forthcoming

BIO

Tony Scodwell was born and raised in Beloit, Wisconsin, graduating from high school in 1961. His education continued at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston on a full scholarship provided by the international music magazine Down Beat Leaving school in the fall of 1962 to join the Stan Kenton Orchestra and returning upon the completion of that year, he once again felt the urge to tour and rejoined the Kenton Orchestra the following April. From that point on, Tony Scodwell has been a working, professional musician.

The band is named after Preservation Hall in New Orleans - the building (circa 1817) has served as a watering hole, art gallery, concert hall, and living museum over the years - but it really all started in 1961 when musical husband-and-wife team Alan and Sandra Jaffe, decided that unless somebody did something to preserve the music of New Orleans, it would disappear into the world of rock 'n' roll. So, with little fanfare, they founded Preservation Hall. From its humble beginnings as the site of a weekly jam session among friends, Preservation Hall has grown to become one of the most famous "pure" music venues in New Orleans, offering no drinks, no air conditioning, no frills: just music. Out of this purity, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band was formed and went out on constant tours, spreading the joy of New Orleans jazz around the world.

The founding members of The Preservation Hall Jazz Band's played with the likes of Jelly-Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden & Sweet Emma Barrett---these legendary artists and dozens of others passed on the lessons of their music to a younger generation who now follow in their footsteps, like the current lineup. Now, under the leadership of founding members' son, Ben Jaffe, the legacy continues with a deep reverence and consciousness of the Dixieland Jazz tradition that started over 50 years ago.

Whether performing at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, on Saturday Night Live or at Bonaroo Music Fest, for the King of Thailand or at your Stoughton Opera House, this music embodies a joyful, timeless spirit that in a way can make audiences feel that the saints are really marching in.

Virtuosity, Quality, Personality

The Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass is composed of some of America's top brass musicians dedicated to bringing the joyous experience of great music to a wide range of audiences. A group that always reflects the diverse makeup of men and women in the American culture, RMPBB is dedicated to the notion that music is a gift to be enjoyed by everyone. The group is especially dedicated to reaching out to the world's youth and inspiring them to reach for their dreams. A veritable "dream team" of virtuoso brass players, members of the group have appeared on the world's most prominent stages and performed with such groups as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Baltimore Symphony, the São Paolo State Symphony Orchestra, the Imani Winds, Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, and Boston Brass. The group burst onto the music scene with a debut performance in Philadelphia's Kimmel Center in Verizon Hall, a residency for the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, and a special feature on the National Public Radio show, "All Things Considered."

Performances by the Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass range from solo trumpet, to brass quintet, to the full ensemble with percussion. Their programs include holiday concerts, family concerts, traditional brass concerts with optional organ or choir, themed concerts (American Music, Baroque-Renaissance, contemporary popular music, the Francis Johnson Project, the John Philip Sousa Project, etc.), as well as specially designed residencies, all available to suit the needs of every venue.

The Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass is a PennPAT ( Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour) roster and presenters may be eligible for fee support grants to present the group.

Tempest

Sunday, September 30, 2012 • 2:00 pm

Tempest is a chamber ensemble comprised of Milwaukee's finest brass musicians. Known for riveting live performances, Tempest plays like its name suggests. Enjoy the power and excitement of brass in this Wilson Center debut concert featuring music by composers such as J.S. Bach, Eric Ewazen, Leonard Bernstein, and Paul Hindemith.