Annual Great American Brass Band Festival brings excitement to campus

RELEASED: June 7, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—This week more than 40,000 music-lovers will converge on Danville and the Centre College campus for The Great American Brass Band Festival. This vibrant festival, now in its 18th year, assembles top national and international performers for a weekend of concerts and celebration. The fun starts Thursday afternoon (June 7) with the annual Chautauqua Tea at Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery at the Old Crow Inn, and the music won't stop until Sunday night.

This year's festival features many of the popular activities and opportunities that draw spectators back to Danville year after year. Registered guests can attend The Brass History Conference at Weisiger Theatre in the Norton Center for the Arts during the day on Friday. At 5 p.m. the gates open for everyone at the Great American Balloon Race at the Stuart Powell field in Danville.

On Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m., music will spread throughout the town, keeping festival goers occupied over the course of 14 hours and across a number of locations. Activities include a New Orleans-style parade through downtown at 11 a.m. The Great American Picnic is also scheduled for Saturday evening, and the night will conclude with a bang, quite literally, with a fireworks display on Centre's campus.

Festival participants can't let this event-filled day wear them out. The brass will be back in action at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, accompanying an ecumenical church service. After the service, music continues for hours on the Centre College main stage next to Cowan Dining Commons.

Some familiar musicians will be making appearances. The host, Advocate Brass Band, founded by George Foreman, director of the College's Norton Center for the Arts, will perform under the direction of Centre music professor Vince DiMartino. The crowd-pleasing clown band, City Sidewalk Stompers, is among the returnees. This year's festival will also feature the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans as the Saturday night spotlight.

Unique to this year's festival is Tasting the Wines of Kentucky, sponsored by Preston-Osborne Marketing Communications. Held on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery, guests will have the opportunity to sample and learn about numerous wines from across the state. Also new this year is Philip Smith, principal trumpeter with the New York Philharmonic. Smith will conduct a master class at Weisiger Theatre in Centre's Norton Center on Saturday at 9 a.m. for students, musicians and others interested in music.

Other weekend highlights include Friday night's Gallery Hop Stop from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Hop, in storefronts and galleries along or near Main Street, will feature more than 40 artists. On Saturday, the Brass Band Festival 5K run will take place at 8 a.m. at Millennium Park, with the Recreational Bike Ride starting at Danville Bike and Footwear on Sunday at 8 a.m. Also on Saturday, there will be a pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. at S.S. Peter and Paul Catholic Church. Festival participants can get some exercise, refuel on a hearty pancake breakfast, and then head over to the nearby parade and begin to groove the weekend away.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.