Concert

The sound of a brass band managing mellow-bold melodies in one breath entranced Shaker Village in 1857. Brethren Levi Balance noted it was “the first time that musical instruments were ever played in our dwelling houses in my day.” The Great American Brass Band Festival is ensuring the music continues more than a century later with the second year of “Serenade at Shaker Village,” a free concert featuring the Walnut Street Ragtime Ramblers....

The Rock Fence concerts — a series of five free outdoor concerts at Rock Fence Park — will hold its first concert May 21 beginning at 7:30 p.m. This year’s event is presented by Kentucky Bank. The series was scheduled to begin May 7, but rain forced the event’s postponement. The concert series includes a variety of music genres including bluegrass, country, pop rock, and classic western swing — all in the relaxed, down-home setting. The concert series has two dates each in May and June, before taking July through September off. At each of the five concerts, entry tickets for the “Rock Fence Grand Finale Giveaway” will be distributed to attendees.

Ashton Boyken decided to join his middle school’s orchestra when he was in the fifth grade. The cellist, now a sophomore at George Rogers Clark High School, said he remembered being impressed by the musical abilities of former high school orchestra members who performed for the younger students. For Boyken and his fellow orchestra members, next Saturday’s community performance at College Park is a welcome opportunity for them to share their love of music with a larger audience.

Lexington-based rock band Chico Fellini (Christopher Dennison, Emily Hagihara, Duane Lundy, Brandon Judd) with opening act Killer Meteor will perform a benefit concert for the Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center.   The event will also feature a silent auction and the raffle of a basketball signed by Uninversity of Kentucky coach John Calipari. The show will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday at Talon Winery, 7086 Tates Creek Road. Admission to the event is $10, and raffle tickets are $5. Food and drink will also be available.

The Cello Man, better known as Daniel Sperry, will present a concert Tuesday at the Community Arts Center. Sperry is a contemporary innovative cellist and composer of instrumental music, whose hails from Ashland, Ore. He currently is traveling the U.S. as part of the “Irrational Quest for Beauty Fall Tour 2010.” The tour began Labor Day weekend with concerts in Portland, Ore., and continues to the Midwest and South with performances in Iowa...

The Rock Fence concerts — a series of five free outdoor concerts at Rock Fence Park — will holds its first concert May 7 beginning at 7:30 p.m. This year’s event is presented by Kentucky Bank. “It’s right down here in our community, and it offers our community a great opportunity to come to our parks and be entertained,” Nicholasville-Jessamine County Parks and Recreation Director Doug Blackford said. “We’re just trying to draw folks in and let them see what Nicholasville has to offer, not only in our community and downtown, but what’s going on at our parks.” The concert series includes a variety of music genres including bluegrass, country, pop rock, and classic western swing — all in the relaxed, down-home setting.

Set for 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Friday, June 10 at Danville High School, the History Conference at the 2011 Great American Brass Band Festival will have a strong focus on the music and life of John Phillip Sousa. Music historians, band enthusiasts, and folks interested in American culture can look forward to a day of band scholars and performers paying tribute to the famous musician. John Phillip Sousa IV, great-grandson of Sousa, will also attend the event. Events on the program agenda include presentations on fascinating topics such as a detailed study of Sousa performance practice with live demonstrations by the Indiana Wind Symphony led by Colonel John Bourgois of the United States Marine Band , Sousa and his relationship with baseball, and the connection between Sousa’s band music and musical theater.

Funding request deadline set HARRODSBURG — Friday is the deadline for non-profit organizations seeking funding from the city of Harrodsburg. For more information, call Kim Stinnett, city clerk and treasurer, at (859) 734-2383, ext. 103. Womanless pageant planned in Garrard LANCASTER — The womanless pageant and silent auction is planned for 7-9 p.m. Saturday at Garrard Middle School. Admission is $5. The event will support the Garrard County High School Class of 2011.

MOUNT STERLING —  Who says tax season has to be stressful? This year, thanks to the Montgomery County Council for the Arts, you can relieve the tension that April often brings with an in-home concert by Dr. Roosevelt Escalante and the Morehead State University jazz department. The event, “A Vocal Jazz Salon,” begins at 7 p.m. Friday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. F.C. Bryan in Mount Sterling. Advance tickets are $20, and are available at the Gateway Regional Arts Center and Ruth Hunt Candy.

George Rogers Clark Orchestra members Chris Griffith and Blake Combs, both seniors, played in the Kentucky Music Educator’s All-State Commonwealth Orchestra during its performance Feb. 12 at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. The orchestra, conducted by Richard Clark from the Butler Symphony Orchestra, played selections from various composers, including a special medley of songs from West Side Story. This was the fourth appearance in the all-state orchestra for Griffith.