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Free Sonoma Hometown Band holiday concert

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Sonoma Valley Sun

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The Sonoma HomeTown Band will join forces with the North Bay Wind Ensemble in presenting for two free holiday concerts.

In addition to traditional holiday music, the bands will include a special treat. The premiere of Concerto for Piano and Symphonic Band composed by Maestro John Partridge. Partridge is a staple of the Sonoma entertainment community, spending many years as part of the East Bay music scene as a composer, performer, director and conductor. Besides leading the Sonoma HomeTown band, he serves as Director of Music Ministries for the First Presbyterian Church of Napa.

Partridge not only works as a musician and as a board member of Sonoma Arts Live Theater Company, but also organizes the annual Wine Country Ragtime Festival. His work as a composer covers many genres from band music to opera to sacred choral music.

Partridge was inspired to write the Concerto after hearing Sonoma based pianist/composer Stephanie Ozer perform. “I heard her playing and knew that I had to write a piano concerto for her. I thought that a presentation of her talents along with the Sonoma Band would be the perfect venue to highlight the piece.”

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Stephanie Ozer performs solo and with her Brazilian Jazz ensembles in venues all over the Bay Area. In addition, she has toured California with Latin Grammy winner and legendary samba jazz vocalist, Leny Andrade, with whom she recorded her album “O Começo”.

Holding a classical piano performance degree from the University of Michigan, Ozer combines her classical talents with her love of jazz and particularly Brazilian jazz to create a gorgeous mix of compositions and interpretations. Nominated twice as best jazz performer in the North Bay, Ozer is the music/choir director at a church and synagogue in Sonoma and teaches all ages and styles in her home studio.

The concerts promise to be “not to be missed” musical events in the Bay Area. The first concert will be held at 7:00 p.m. December 1 at the Napa Valley College Performance Center. The second free concert will be held at 7:00 p.m. on December 8 at the Hanna Boys Center at 17000 Arnold Drive in Sonoma.




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