Ellington: From Cotton Club to Concert Hall
On Friday, September 4th, 2009, Ellington: From Cotton Club to Concert Hall will kick off the Impressions in Jazz Orchestra (IJO)’s 2009-2010 season at the recently opened Shenkman Arts Centre. This not-to-be-missed concert will chronicle Duke Ellington’s storied musical career with selections from 1927 to 1970 including music written for the Cotton Club, concert halls, cathedrals and the silver screen. The IJO’s 16-piece repertory orchestra will perform seminal Ellington works including Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue, Black and Tan Fantasy, Billy Strayhorn’s arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue, Cotton Tail and Theme from “The Asphalt Jungle” along with many other rarely heard works. The concert will begin at 8 PM with a bonus short set of Ellington’s music from the 1920s and 1930s beginning as soon as the doors open at 7:30 PM.
Ellington: From Cotton Club to Concert Hall will be presented at Harold Shenkman Hall in the Shenkman Arts Centre. The hall is Ottawa’s newest concert venue with seating for 500 and superb acoustics. The Shenkman Arts Centre is located at 245 Centrum Boulevard. Tickets for the concert are $25 for adults and $15 for students. Adult tickets may be purchased online at http://www.shenkmanarts.ca or by calling (613) 580-2700 or visiting the box office at the Shenkman Arts Centre. Student tickets are only available by phone or at the box office and student identification is required.
Since bursting onto the Ottawa arts scene in 2005, the Impressions in Jazz Orchestra led by Ottawa bassist and conductor, Adrian Cho, has thrilled audiences with its highly entertaining and educational presentations of jazz-centric music. In just four years, the IJO has presented over 25 concerts and premiered over 12 extended works and countless shorter pieces while featuring a dazzling array of Ottawa’s finest jazz and symphony musicians with guest musicians, dancers and actors from across Canada and the US. Each season the IJO presents a full programme of concerts in addition to performing for Ottawa’s hottest swing dance events and at the request of event organizers such as the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, the City of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission. To find out more about the IJO, visit http://www.impressionsinjazz.ca.
